His Little Boy
by Ronnie343
Summary: When a father's son is kidnapped, he goes to the greatest lengths to get him back. And gets help from a most unlikely source: a young woman with short-term memory loss. AU. Humanization of the movie. Slight M/D.
1. Nemo

**Hello loyal fans (and not so loyal ones). I'm here with another masterpiece! ...Okay, maybe not. But I can try! This idea came from watching Finding Nemo for the first time in years. This story will serve as a prequel to _Short Term Memory Loss. _You can read these two in any order, but go ahead and check out the first one, lol. And yes, I'm still writing AiW: Once More. I just need to find where my book went so I can remember what happens for the rest of the story since I already planned it out. **

**This is not a complete retelling of the movie. I'm not about to put human characters in water and give them the exact same dialogue. There will be changes and yes, this is slight Marlin/Dory.**

**So, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: My last name isn't Disney, Unkrinch or Lasseter and I'm definitely not a clownfish.**

* * *

"Oh, yeah."

"Hm?"

"That was _definitely_ a kick." He lifted his ear from her belly to look her in the face.

"Are you sure Marlin?" she asked, giddy with excitement.

"Am I the one carrying the baby?" he asked his wife of 10 months.

She giggled. "Well put."

Marlin Williams climbed back over to his side of the bed, putting his arm around Coral's shoulder. He was surprised at how he was able to attain such a beautiful wife. She had long flowing red hair, reddish-brown eyes and a small face (with lips to match). She was small, about 5'4", which suited him just fine (mainly due to the fact that he wasn't that tall himself). He was fairly average for a young man of 21, about 5'7". He had short orange hair that slid behind his ears, short face with a fairly strong jaw and narrow brown eyes.

They met at a kissing booth at the school festival in high school. He had been the unlucky teen chosen, mostly as joke. However, he didn't expect how many females would be willing to kiss him for a $1 a piece. So he was making a fair profit.

She had been put up to a dare by her friends, mainly due to the fact that they believed she was afraid to get to her first kiss. So, she was almost ready to run out of the line every chance she got, only to build up her fleeting confidence and keep going. Finally, when it was her turn, she slammed the dollar on the table and kissed him.

Hard.

The feeling that followed afterward was completely unexpected. And she found herself slapping another bill on the table.

Reluctantly, she pulled away, getting dirty looks from the other girls in line and surprised looks from her friends.

That next week, he asked her out. She gladly accepted.

Marlin has always had this peculiar way of meeting people that would change his life forever, so she wasn't the first. But Coral had the most impact. Something he was glad of.

Marlin rolled over, looking out the portrait-shaped window. Coral looked over his shoulder.

"So, did you man deliver or did her deliver?" he asked smugly.

"My man delivered," she stated, plainly. "You did good. And the neighborhood is awesome."

She looked at the spectacular neighborhood that he had moved them into. The houses were full of color, each one different in shape and size, each sitting on at least an acre of land. Kids played in the streets, expertly dodging the cautious drivers in their automobiles as they passed by. Couples basked in the sunlight and enjoyed each other in various ways, as much as they could in public. A large school sat off in the distance surrounded by various stores and shops.

"So, you do like it, don't you?"

"Oh, I do," she retorted. "I do, I do. But, Marlin, are you sure we need all this space?"

"Coral, these are our kids we're talking about!" he exclaimed, turning towards her. " They deserve the best! No, look, look, look. They'll wake up, poke their little heads out the window and see an airplane, zooming right above our house!"

Coral, gigglng, slowly rolled over to her husband, clasping her hand in his. "Marlin?"

"Hm?"

"What do you want to name it?" she asked.

"It. Don't you mean them?"

"Marlin..."

"I found out they were twins," he announced proudly.

"What?"

"He smiled widely. "I didn't want to tell you too soon. Because I know how excited you'll get and well..."

"Marlin, the babies are going to be fine," she assured them. "But right now, I want you to name them."

"Right now?" She nodded. He acted like he was thinking about it. "Okay, to cover both bases, we'll name the boy, Marlin Jr. and the girl, Coral Jr."

"Marlin!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"No, I'm serious!"

"Well," she began, closing her eyes,"I like Nemo."

"Nemo?" he asked. Then he just shrugged casually. "Well, if it's two boys, we'll name one Nemo, but I was hoping for one to be Marlin, Jr. If it's two girls, I'll figure out another name later."

"Just think," she squealed. "In a couple of days, we're going to be parents!"

"Yeah," said Marlin nonchalantly. "What if they don't like me?"

"Marlin," she moaned, rising up.

"No, really," he complained, leaning on his right arm. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. He turned around to catch her lips in his. "They're twins. One of them is bound to like you." The kisses continued between words until a smile appeared on his face.

"Remember how we met?"

Her contact with him ended. "I try not to," she muttered, turning over.

"Well, I remember," he replied. Sitting up straight on the bed, he started to announce, "Step right up, ladies. The kiss of your life! Only a buck a piece!"

"Marlin!" Coral yelled, embarrassed due to the fact that the window was open. He only continued, unfaltered.

"And who is this lovely woman we have right here?" Wrapping his arms around her neck, he ignored her pleas to stop reminiscing the moment. "If you're willing to take a chance, take your pick. Believe me, you won't regret it!"

Coral seemed to groan at the next statement and he leaned in for a kiss, not expecting for her to push him away, her hands falling to her stomach. After a few seconds, he registered that something was amiss. "Coral?"

"Marlin..." she moaned, rolling over.

"Coral, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. She couldn't answer and only screeched in pain, unable to move. Marlin bolted out of the bedroom and grabbed the nearest phone. After explaining the situation to the hospital staff, he grabbed Coral, nightgown and all and carried her downstairs in a hurry, grabbing two coats, his keys and scrambling out the front door.

They arrived in 10 minutes. Coral was practicing her breathing exercises as much as she could, but the pain only got worse. They were ushered into a nearby waiting room, where all the people there, who had arrived before them, agreed to let her go first, for her situation suddenly made all their problems seemed minor. Placing her a wheelchair, she was wheeled down the hall to the nearest Emergency Room, where the nurse stopped him from going any further. Marlin could only watch in horror as Coral screamed out his name, reaching out behind her as the doors closed.

* * *

"Mr. Williams?"

Marlin stirred from his nap. He had been there for three hours, trying to wait as patiently as he could for Coral's results. The surgeon shifted from side to side, seemingly nervous. Marlin rose, frightened. "Yes, Dr. Hutch?"

The surgeon waited a few moments before taking off his headpiece. "I'm sorry."

Marlin's face dropped.

"She died in childbirth a few minutes ago. We did everything we could."

Marlin could barely register what the doctor said as reality caved in on him. His wife. His beloved Coral, gone. Forever. And there was nothing he could do about it. His knees seemed to turn to water and he feel onto the floor, warm, fresh tears falling down his face, until...

"But..."

"But?" His eyes shot open.

"There was someone we did manage to save."

He brought the emotional widower into a nearby nursery. A few feet away stood a nurse holding a small bundle in his arms. She handed it to him, head down to show smypathy.

Marlin nearly gasped at what he saw. It was a boy, with large brown eyes, the nose of Coral and his mouth and chin. He reached out his tiny arms, seemingly registering that Marlin was his father. The young man only started to cry even more, until the baby's wails brought him back to reality.

"Ssh, ssh," he said, trying to soothe the newborn. "It'll be okay. There, there, Daddy's got you." He brought his son to his face, smiling inwardly as his sobbing started to subside. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

He cradled the baby his arms, letting him grasp his long index finger and smiled.

"Nemo."

* * *

***cries* That was so beautiful! I can hardly believe I wrote it! *blows nose* I had to listen to slow songs for this and somehow got even more inspired while watching August Rush out the side of my eye. **

**Kissing booth - The 'hook' Marlin's lip. It popped up when I thought about it and I just had to write it down.**

**Since water puts out fire, no flames! But you may review! :)**


	2. First Day of School

**Yea! Inspiration again!**

**BFG91: Yea! You figured it out! *gives you virtual cookie* Yep, I did that onpurpose just to see if you would catch it. And no, his first name is not Timothy, lol. And give Dory a Marlin plushie or something. I don't want her going rampant all over my fanfic.**

**6N: Thanks!**

**Watermelon Juice: Thank you!**

**Dsiclaimer: I know no one from Pixar.**

* * *

A snoring form lay in bed as he enjoyed a peaceful sleep. As the light crept into the bedroom, he instinctively turned over. A loud bang was heard in the distance which he barely seemed to notice and suddenly, the door flew open.

"First day of School! First day of school!"

Nemo, now six-years-old and clad in Mickey Mouse pajamas, rushed over to the bed and proceeded to shake his father like it was no tomorrow.

"C'mon, Dad!" he exclaimed. "Time for school!"

"But I don't wanna go to school," Marlin complained, half-asleep. "Five more minutes." He pulled the covers over his head in protest.

"Not you, Dad!" Nemo proceeded to run around the room in his excitement as Marlin emerged from his slumber. "First day of school! First day of school! First day of- woah!"

"Nemo!" Marlin yelled as he watched his son trip over his own two feet and out the door. Nemo, completely unphased, continue repeating the same statement over and over again. Marlin helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad."

"Any fractures?"

"Fractures?"

"Pain?"

"Dad..."

"Rushing liquids?"

"Dad, I'm fine!"

"How many fingers am I holding up? !"

"Four."

"See? ! Somethings wrong with you! I have..." he calmed down from his excitement to look at his hand. "One...two...three...four...that's it? Oh, okay, you're good. I didn't even notice. So, how's your asthma?"

Nemo took a deep breath and held up a thumb.

"Are you sure you want to go to school this year?" Marlin asked out of concern. "We could homeschool again this year, y'know."

"Dad!" Nemo complained.

"Alright, alright." He ushered the little boy into the bathroom to get himself ready. After about 25 minutes (and thanks to convenient placing of a door to the bedroom), Nemo arrived from his bedroom, dressed in black shirt with the Symbionic Titan on it, blue shorts and red tennis shoes. Marlin, who was at the bottom of the stairs, grabbed the little boy as he rushed down and carried him back up.

"Dad..."

"Oh, on, you don't," Marlin said. "You forgot to brush your teeth."

"But, Dad..."

"Do you want the girls to like you?"

Nemo looked towards the bathroom and back to his father. "Yes!"

"Then brush," Marlin replied, watching as he ran into the bathroom and brushed his teeth for about 15 seconds. On his way out, Marlin stopped him. "You missed a spot."

"Where?" Nemo asked, clearly irritated by his father's qualms.

"Right here," Marlin said, smiling as he tickled his son's arm and soon, the crook of hi neck. This continued for a few minutes and finally, they walked towards the living room window.

"Okay, first day of school, here we go," Marlin announced, not noticing the clear awe on Nemo's face. "We're ready to learn to get some knowledge. Now, what's the one thing we have to remember about the world?"

"It's not safe," Nemo repeated for the hundredth time as his father nodded. "That's my boy."

"Now, first, we check to see if the coast is clear. We go out..." He and Nemo peeked out the blinds of the front window. "And then back in. And then we go out..." Marlin glanced out the window of the front door, while Nemo desperately tried to see out of it by jumping up and down. "And back in. And we go out..." This time, Marlin poked his head out the doorway, while Nemo squeezed by to get outside. "And then back in. And sometimes, if you want to do it four times..."

"Dad!" Nemo exclaimed.

"Okay, okay!"

Marlin closely followed his son as he scurried down the sidewalk to a nearby elementary school.

"Hey, Dad, have you ever met a thug before?" Nemo asked innocently.

"Not that I know of," Marlin answered.

"Or a surfer dude?"

"Now, where'd you get that from?" Marlin asked.

"Well, Sandy Pinkton...she said that usually they have long hair and, and they like to live in the water and, and they love to surf and like nature and stuff!"

"Well, if I ever meet one, I'll talk to him. After I'm done meeting the thug okay?" Marlin said halfheartly. He looked up to see Nemo at the edge of the curb.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Wait to cross!" Pulling him back, they waited for the walk signal to light up on the other side of the street.

"Hold my hand, hold my hand..."

"Dad, you're not about to freak out like you did at the petting zoo, are you?" Nemo asked as they crossed.

"Hey, that goat was about to charge," retorted Marlin.

A few minutes later, a rather large school came into view. It was a brick red color and at the front was a cream colored canopy with blue posts. Cars and school buses pulled in and out from under it. Leading Nemo to the playground, Marlin eventually joined a small group of parents (or fathers, for that matter).

"I wonder where we're supposed to go," Marlin wondered. Behind him a woman with blonde hair opened the door to her minivan and three kids ran out.

"Bye, mom!"

"Bye, kids! I'll pick you up after school!" she yelled, not noticing as the last one barely missed getting shut inside the van.

"Hey, give that back!" a young boy yelled as two girls throw his backpack back and forth aross the yard.

"Is this where we meet his teacher?" he asked, looking around in front of the school.

"Hey! It's Marty!" a voice said. Marlin turned to see three men. The one who just spoke was slightly overweight with red hair, sporting a red sports jacket, white t-shirt and blue jeans. The man on his right on his right on right was blond, a brown newsboy cap sitting on his head, and covered in a black vest, yellow collored shirt and black slacks. The last one was a brunette with short spiky hair, glasses and wore a black long-sleeved dress shirt and brown pants.

"Marlin," Marlin corrected.

"Bob."

"Ted."

"Bill. Hey, we were just telling some jokes to pass the time," the blonde replied. "You seem like a pretty funny guy."

"No, no, I'm not any funnier than you guys..."

"Aw, come on," coaxed Bob.

"Yeah, give us what you got."

"Well...actually know one that's pretty good," admitted Marlin, shrugging. "A father and his son were talking. Or course, we'll just assume that the boy is young, but the joke is funny at any age. Anyway, the boy decides to ask his father about marriage and..."

As Marlin conversated, Nemo headed to the nearby playground. He looked around and saw three children his age, all spinning around on a tire swing. Noticing him standing by himself, the girl of the trio stopped pushing. She had red-orange hair that hung just above her shoulders and wore a white shirt, pink overalls and red tennis shoes.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" one of the two boys asked. He was a blonde, short, cropped hair covering his head. He sported a purple shirt, denim shorts and yellow vans. The girl simply nodded her head towards Nemo, who, at the time, barely noticed that he had been, well, noticed. All three jumped down.

"Hi," the girl said, nearly causing the young boy to jump.

"Hi."

"I'm Pearl," she announced happily, pointing to herself.

"Tad," the blond said nonchalantly.

"A-choo! Sorry, I'm Sheldon," the last boy said, wiping his nose with a tissue. He was a brunette, brown spiky hair sticking out for under a visor. He was enveloped in a black, long sleeve shirt with a transformers logo on it and brown pants with black and white buddies.

Nemo smiled, pointing towards himself. "I'm Nemo," he remarked before having a sudden coughing fit. Marlin rushed over and gave Nemo his inhaler, causing Tad to giggle. Sheldon was then popped on the forehead. "Ow! What I say? What I say?"

"Be nice, " his father said. "It's his first day of school."

"He has asthma, kids," Marlin announced proudly, not noticing Nemo's embarrassment. "We call his inhaler his "Lucky Puff."

"Dad!" Nemo quietly snapped.

"See this arm?" Pearl asked. "It's actually shorter than than my other arm. But you can't really tell. Epesically when I swing 'em like this!"

"I'm O-2 intolerant," Sheldon said before sneezing.

"I'm obnoxious!" Tad yelled in Nemo's face.

"Let's name the zones! The zones! The zones! Let's name the zones of the open sea!" a husky voice sang in the distance.

"Mr. Ray!" A small group of children suddenly emerged from the corners of the playground, surrounding a rather tall man. A mop of black hair was pulled back onto his head and he wore a navy collared shirt, white jacket and black slacks. Tad, Pearl and Sheldon soon joined the group.

"Roll call, explorers!" he announced. "Who's up for it this time?"

Shouts of "Me! Me!" radiated throughout the group. Handing down the clipboard to a young girl, Mr. Ray noticed Nemo standing not far off. "Who's this?"

"I'm Nemo."

"Nemo...Are you Captain Nemo or are you the new student?"

Nemo giggled. "I'm new. This is my first year."

"Ah, I see," he remarked. "And you must be his father."

"Marlin Williams," Marlin said, shaking the teacher's hand. "Listen, he has asthma. So if he gets tired or out of breath, just give him a break. Ten, fifteen minutes?"

"Dad, it's time for you to go now," Nemo tried to whisper.

"Don't worry. I watch my children at all times," Mr. Ray assured. Turning around, he started walking into the school, singing loudly. The kids followed after him in a single file line, happily chatting among themselves.

"Bye, Nemo!" Marlin called, only see his son wave back at him.

He could only watch silently as they disappeared inside.

_He'll be fine. He's gonna be okay._

He looked off into the distance.

_Right?_

* * *

**Some chose amputation, others have disfigured limbs. I choose asthma! Yeah, it's not as noticeable, but it'll come into play much later in the fic. Nemo shall be kidnapped in the next chappie! How? You shall see, heh heh, *smiles evilly***

**So, wanna click the little button at the end of this chappie?**


	3. I Hate You

**I love it when I start writing and suddenly all these ideas pop into my head! Awesome! *cuddles Tarrant plush* Oh, this? This is just...a gift! I am not a Tarrant fangirl! I am not a Tarrant fangirl!**

**Oh, wait...where was I? Oh, right. Sorry. Wrong fandom. **

**BFG91: *gives another cookie* Good, Dory's restrained. Anyway, I actually have asthma myself, so that makes it so much easier to write. Don't worry! I don't have asthma attacks, but I can get short of breath sometimes. Still, don't panic! Moving on, I used to be obsessed with Mickey Mouse so I was like, why not? And the rushing fluids probably meant blood. Just my idea.**

**Watermelon Juice: Yea! Thanks!**

**Sara: :)**

**Sandra: Hmm...I actually planned for something a little more elaborate than a stalker, but in a way, that's what it is. And yes, Gill shall have an inhaler. **

**Hope you enjoy this chappie because this where is the ball starts rolling.**

**Dsiclaimer: It took me a long time to figure out that the reason that the people in the movie had Australian accents in Sydney was because it was in Australia...yeah, I know.**

* * *

This was not good.

How could he had been so stupid?

In so many senses of the word.

Marlin sighed for the thousandth time.

He trusted Mr. Ray with Nemo. He really did. Still...

He really didn't mind Nemo going on a field trip.

The only problem was where they were going...

_"Please, Dad! Please? !"_

_Marlin rolled his eyes playfully and sighed the permission slip. Nemo smiled and snatched the paper off the table, running upstairs. _

_"Now, remind me where you're going again?" Marlin asked._

_"We're gonna go to Kidspace and then we're gonna head to the...Pa-sa-de-na Playhouse to watch Seu-Sue..."_

_"Seussical?"_

_"Yeah!" Nemo exclaimed from afar._

Marlin sighed. Right now, his son could be held at gunpoint by a gang member...or worse...

Now, California does have its share of gangs. Not that Pasadena is filled with them. It's actually one of the safer cities. But the northern area of the city was not exactly favorable to citizens or tourists.

That's where Kidspace was located.

And if Marlin had knew this earlier, he would've immediately said no.

Unfortunately, Marlin usually ended up on the short end of things. So, here he was in Los Angeles traffic, slowly inching along in the traffic jam that suddenly developed in the past 15 minutes. Gladly, his hometown of Anaheim wasn't too far. Now, all he had to do was sit and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Meanwhile, Nemo was having the time of his life singing songs with Mr. Ray and the rest of the class on the bus. He was actually relieved that Marlin said yes to going on the field trip, mainly due to the fact that was embarrassed of his father's overprotective instincts. He loved him dearly, but sometimes he needed a break. And today was the perfect day to do that. Nothing that happened would cause his father to go into a complete tizzy and the only reason for that was because Marlin wasn't going to be there...

Or so he thought.

* * *

The bus arrived at Kidspace 10 minutes later and the kids poured out of the bus, chattering with excitement. The chaperones then divided the children into equal groups and led them into the museum. Of course, Nemo found himself with Tad, Pearl and Sheldon, a few others and Mr. Ray, who led their "tour" with enthusiasm.

He led the small group of children to an outdoor dinosaur exhibit. It was set in one of the museum's greenhouses, probably to give the feeling of a tropical setting, even with obviously fake trees and plants. Informational boards were set up along with interactive displays, video games, skeletons and replicas. Guests could even experience a "tour" through a virtual reality simulator that encouraged them to "run" from a virtual T-Rex while seeing and naming other species.

As Mr. Ray directed the children to the skeleton of a Triceratops and sang a lively song about all its bones, Nemo found himself pulled towards the other exhibits. He barely noticed Tad, Sheldon and Pearl sneaking away from the group and into another building. Curiosity getting the best of him, Nemo looked for an opportunity to slip away from the group and took it, trailing the trio of kids.

"Guys?"

"Nemo, over here!" Sheldon exclaimed, peeking over from under a sheet covering up a display.

Pearl shushed him. "Be quiet! I don't wanna get caught!"

"What are you guys doing?" Nemo asked, curious.

Tad sighed. "Hiding. What else? We're gonna go explore the museum."

"Why?"

"Because we want to!"

"C'mon, Nemo!" Pearl urged.

"Yeah, it'll be fun!" coaxed Sheldon.

"Well..." Nemo rubbed his neck. Was there any harm in exploring the museum on his own...well, not exactly on his own, but still...of course, his father would be furious if he ever caught him. But if he didn't get caught...

Nemo nodded, smiling.

"Okay."

* * *

"Thank you."

Marlin sighed and looked at his ticket. It took him a half hour to get out of traffic, another ten to find a parking space. At this rate, Nemo was probably already at the Pasadena Playhouse.

And then he would've done everything for nothing.

Well, at least Nemo would've been safe.

But sadly, this wasn't the case...it may have been, but at the moment he wasn't sure. Maybe he should have bought the cell phone Nemo wanted.

He shook his head. This wasn't the time to get sidetracked. He had to find his son.

Who currently was outside exploring an exhibit that hadn't even opened yet.

The kids had just spent the next half hour exploring the museum, dodging guards, sneaking in exhibits and now were exploring an unopened, outside one. Tad climbed up on a display and hung from one of its beams when something caught his eye.

"Hey, look!"

He motioned towards a pole that was currently looming over the side edge of the building. Gladly, the back end was already bolted in place. The kids walked towards it in awe, pulled by curiosity. Then Tad suddenly puffed up with pride. "I bet you guys can't walk out on the pole."

"Oh, yeah?" Sheldon asked, staring his friend straight in the face. "I bet you can't."

"Well...I wanna see how far you guys can go, first," Tad said, seemingly nervous.

The children exchanged glances until Sheldon got the courage to start balancing on the pole.

"Look at me! I gonna go to the edge of the-ACHOO!" The sneeze threw him off-balance and he scurried closer to the building, still on the beam. The other kids laughed.

Sheldon stuck out his tongue. "I bet you're too afraid to get on it!"

"Watch me!" Pearl leaped onto the bar and landed a few feet farther. "Beat that!"

Tad only went even further. Looking at Nemo, he pointed outside." C'mon, Nemo! How far can you go?"

Nemo walked closer to his friends, ready to prove how "brave" he was, until an image of his father popped up in his head. One foot on the pole and the other on the ground, he shook his head." Well...my Dad says it's not safe..."

"NEMO!"

Nemo whipped around, only to see Marlin sprinting towards him at what seemed like light speed. "Dad? !"

Immediately, he felt himself being lifted off the ground and landed right by two security officers. Marlin was writhing in agony, his hand slowly sliding down his face. "I can't believe that you would go and do that! After all I told you!"

"What?"

"You were going to try and balance on that pole!" yelled Marlin, pointing in the direction of the kids.

Nemo immediately jumped up. "No, Dad! I wasn't going to..."

"It's a good thing I decided to come..."

"But, Dad!" Nemo protested.

"If I hadn't showed up, no one knows what could've happened..."

"Sir, he wasn't gonna go!" Sheldon admitted, running over to them.

"Yeah, he was too afraid!" Tad yelled.

Nemo glared. "No, I wasn't..."

"This doesn't concern you, kids," Marlin spat, causing them to flinch. "And you're lucky that I don't tell your parents about this! I mean, I can't believe you..." He turned towards Nemo. "You know can't breathe well!"

"Dad, I can breathe just fine!" Nemo retorted.

As they argued, Mr. Ray and the rest of the group emerged in the distance.

"You know what? I was right," said Marlin. "You need to wait another year or two before you to go to school. "

"No, Dad!" Nemo yelled. "Just because you're scared of the world doesn't mean-!"

"Clearly, you are NOT ready and you're not coming back until you are! You think you can do these things...you think you can do this, but you just can't, Nemo!"

Nemo recoiled from his father's outburst, his chin slowly hitting his chest and his fists clenching. "I hate you."

Marlin's eyes widened in dismay as his son's words slowly rang through his ears.

"There's...nothing to see!" Mr. Ray suddenly exclaimed. "Um...go on back down and I'll meet you there." He slowly approached Marlin, who was currently still registering what had just happened. "Excuse me, I am a scientist, sir. Is there a problem?"

Marlin sighed heavily, rubbing his neck. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt things. It's just that his lungs don't function too well. And it's a little too soon for him to be running around unsupervised."

"Well, I can assure you he's quite safe with me."

"I"m sure he is," Marlin replied. "But, I mean, you have a large class and if you're not looking, he could slip right out of sight. Not that you're not looking, but..."

"Look! Nemo's on top of the pole!"

Marlin turned around, only to see his son, swaying back and front as he balanced on the mentioned object. The security guards immediately rushed over and tried to figure out a way to reach Nemo without scaring him off or causing him to fall.

"Nemo! What do you think you're doing? !" he yelled, furious. Nemo only continued further, walking sideways and staring at his father angerily.

"You're gonna get stuck out there and I'm going have to figure out a way to get you! Now, don't you go to the edge, young man!"

Nemo walked onward.

"Don't you dare disobey me, Nemo! I said, don't go to the..."

The 6-year-old jumped and stopped, indicating that he reached the end.

"NEMO!"

Nemo only rolled his eyes and started to walk back, ignoring the security guards as they motioned for him to come closer towards them.

"That's right," Marlin growled. "You get your little tail right back here, young man. And when you get here, you are going to be in big trouble, do you here me? Big..."

Almost out of nowhere, a dark figure emerged behind Nemo. Marlin automatically became frightened. "Big..."

The figure snatched up Nemo, who began to squirm to no avail. "DADDY! HELP ME!"

"NEMO!" Marlin dashed forward.

"Stay where you are!" yelled a guard, brandishing his gun. Suddenly, he felt a blow to his head and a small metal ball rolled into the area. Smoke filled the room and Marlin tried to overcome the sensation of drowsiness as he watched Nemo disappear out of sight.

"Nemo! *cough cough* Nemo..."

Turning around, he staggered out the room, barely reaching the exit. Once he had almost regained his senses, he ran downstairs and outside, pushing past onlookers. Managing to pick out Nemo in the parking lot, he raced towards his attacker, not expecting a bullet to whiz past his ear as he got close. He leaped for safety behind a nearby car as more came and gave chase once he heard tires screeching behind him.

"Nemo! Nemo!" he yelled, chasing after the armored car. "Nemo! No! No! NEMO! ! !"

"WATCH OUT!"

"AAAH! ! !"

Suddenly, everything went black.


	4. Short Term Memory Loss

**...My mind's a blank. I can't think of a proper author's note right now. Only good thing as that I rented KFP 2 today and I'm ready to watch it with my plushies.**

**Oh, right. Some things I forgot to mention. I took the pain to actually look up certain places for chapter 3, so every place there is real, except for the inside of the museum. I have no idea if they have a second floor. But I do consider it ironic that the dinosaur exhibit was in a greenhouse and the fact that the museum is made up of old greenhouses and I didn't know that until I looked it up...yeah, you probably get the point.  
**

**BFG91: Actually, I did know that Sydney was in Australia but during that time my common sense turned off. And there's a pretty good reason why they're taking such desperate measures to kidnap the kids, which shall revealed in a later chappie. But soon, nonetheless. And you better find that fish soon. She's gonna love this one. :) And thanks for the cheesecake!  
**

**Watermelon Juice: Thanks! Glad you liked!**

**LittleBlue33: Thanks!**

**GeneralLee01Girl: Nemo's fate shall be revealed soon enough. And sadly they didn't wreck. But Marlin bumped into someone we all know and love!**

**Zutarafan14: Thanks! The kids were on top of a beam that "hung" off the 2nd floor because it was an outdoor exhibit.**

**Disclaimer: Was I the only one who thought Dory was going to profess her love to Marlin when she said "I'm home!" instead? In other words, I may have put a little more romance in the movie.  
**

* * *

"Dory!"

Silence.

"Dory!"

Still no answer.

"Doleres!"

"What?" The mentioned woman poked her head out of her bedroom.

"I called you at least three times!" he younger sister, Elle, replied.

"When was that?" The young woman asked.

"Ugh! Never mind! Just get down here!"

Dory shrugged and did what she was told. Heading downstairs, she followed Elle to the kitchen and started helping with breakfast. Footsteps were heard in the other room and two other women appeared, followed by a middle-aged man.

"Good morning!" Aida, the oldest replied. She was at least 5'11", almost as tall as her father. The oldest at 28, she had an athletic body type, long-legged and short torsoed. She had short black-brown hair that hung right above her shoulders, which framed her long face. She resembled her father greatly.

At least in looks.

Same thing with Diane, who was Aida's twin. The only difference was longer hair and the fact that she was 3 minutes younger than her twin.

Both were extremely perky and took on the short-term memory loss they inherited from their mother.

Dory, who had the worst memory of all, resembled her mother. She was 24, 5'9", relatively slim, high metabolism, full of energy. She had long black hair, that was always pulled up into a ponytail of some sort. Her most defining feature were her large brownish-red eyes, giving her some sort of innocence. And she almost always smiled.

Elle was the realist of the family, especially when she had to be. She was 18, freshman in college, but strangely the more serious one of the bunch, probably due to the fact that she didn't inherit the memory condition of her mother. She was short, about 5'3", more shapely than the others, in terms of weight as well. She had brown hair that was arranged in a long, flowing fringe-cut.

To round out the family (and to continue this fic before it gets too boring), Leo was the father to the four women. He was 6'2", 49-years-old and despite the balding, sported a black, cropped haircut. He had a fairly long, homely-looking face and seemed somewhat devoid of emotion except when it came to his narrow, brown eyes which revealed almost everything he was feeling. He was usually calm and was almost never in a hurry to get anxious or angry. But he could get dead serious when he needed to.

Today was any normal day in the Martin household. They usually began their routine with breakfast. During that time, they took turns in leaving and taking a shower. By the time the food was fixed, everyone...well, hopefully everyone would be refreshed and ready to take on the day. Leo would be the first to leave for work, Elle following close after for her day classes. Aida and Diane left about an hour later, with Dory not so close behind. The twins were secretaries for local law firms while Dory worked at a nearby bank.

Oh, yes, the irony in their...careers.

Going back to the present time, Dory had a day off today, so she was free to spend it however she liked. As she helped her sisters prepare for breakfast, she couldn't help but get caught up in the current conversation,

"...I told you before," Elle repeated for the third time. "I don't have time for boyfriends!"

"Elle, really, you're going to need someone to fill up the time you have left during the day," Aida suggested, getting some flour.

The youngest only sighed again. "It's not that I don't want one. But..."

"But?" Diane asked teasingly, getting an arm jab from Dory.

"...like I said, I don't have time." Elle blushed and lowered her head, rolling dough furiously in the flour her sister had laid out.

"I think someone's hiding something."

"I'm not!"

"What would she be hiding anyway?" Dory asked, despite listening to the whole conversation.

"Oh, c'mon, Dory, you don't know? !" Diane asked. "She's been in love with this guy since she was at least, what, 16?"

"And you're saying this again for the fiftieth time because..." Elle groaned, still not used to the memory loss.

"Let's change subjects," Leo suddenly suggested, a little worn out from having to hear the same topic...and the fact that someone finally enamored his youngest daughter had irked him a bit. "Dory, isn't it true that you're off of work today?"

"When did I say that?"

"Just last week," Elle nearly snapped, catching herself.

"Oh...wait...Oh, yeah! The boss told me that I really needed a break since I'm like the hardest worker in there...well, at least I think that's what he said..." She tapped her chin, trying her best to remember the situation. Leo put his hand up.

"That's enough assurance for me," he replied, smiling.

* * *

"Thanks!"

"No problem, Dory."

After a few hours of lounging at home, Dory decided to head out that day and just wing it, just going wherever she pleased. She had been wanting to head to Kidspace for a while to check up on some old friends that worked there...

Well, at least that's what she thought.

She smiled at the bus driver for only tipped his hat to her and closed the door once she exited the vehicle. Strangly enough, Dory was well-known around her neighborhood, mainly due to her family and for her friendly demeanor and it took a little work, but eventually most were able to overlook her forgetfulness.

Continuing her trek inside the building, she wove through the crowds of children and headed towards the front desk to get her ticket.

She was nearly knocked off her feet by a trio of three kids, who seemed to be running away from an irate security guard. Straightening herself back up, she headed towards the desk. That's when she blushed.

As it turned out, Dory's had a crush on this guy ever since she met him a few years ago. She could never remember his name but he had the most beautiful blonde hair, blue eyes...

Oh, yeah, tall and handsome. Minus the dark part. Young.

And he loved to flirt with her.

But as she got closer and stood in front of the desk, she remembered something else. He was currently in a relationship. And cheating was not something she approved of.

Which also made her remember why she didn't have a crush anymore.

Too bad that didn't make up for the attraction.

Once he noticed her, he flashed a bright smile in her direction. He slowly rolled up to the desk and laid his chin in his hands. "Hello."

She grimaced. "Hi."

"So, come here just to see me or are you actually here to check out the museum?"

Dory stood there, blank as could be. Who was this guy and why was she here again? She shrugged inwardly and decided to state the obvious. "The latter."

After receiving her ticket, she turned around, walking with a pep in her step towards the nearest exhibit.

Just another normal day.

Right?

* * *

Or not.

Dory rubbed her head. She had just collided head-on with someone else, probably due to the fact that she had no idea of what was going on, even though the fact that she nearly had gotten run over by a car should've told her something.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Ugh..."

The young woman waved her hand in front of the man's face. "Excuse me, are you okay?"

He only groaned again and started to mumbling to himself. "He 's gone..."

Dory, who somehow didn't hear him, knelt down and decided to try her best to comfort him. "There, there..."

"He's gone..."

"It'll be alright."

"No."

"It'll be okay," she coaxed, not expecting for his head to snap up.

"No! No!" he yelled. "They took him away!" He immediately leaped up, panicking. "I have to find the van!"

"A van?" she repeated, remembering the armored van speeding off into the distance. "Hey, I think I saw it!"

"You have?" he asked, sincere relief in his voice.

"Yeah," she replied. "It passed by not too long ago."

He came closer. " A white one?"

Suddenly, her mind became a blank again. "Hi, I'm Dory," she said, extending her hand.

"Where? Which way?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, mentally slapping herself. "This way! It went this way! Follow me!"

* * *

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"No problem!"

Marlin could not believe his luck. Just moments after crashing into someone...which hopefully wasn't the woman in front of him...she was able to help him locate Nemo. She quickly ran off in the direction she pointed in, leading them out of the parking lot. After a few minutes though, her pace slowed and she seemed to bounce, skipping slightly. Marlin, who was too frustrated anyway, ignored this until she turned her head and immediately straightened up. Taken aback, he quickened his pace...

And was completely taken off guard when she took off.

"Hey! Hold on a second!" he called.

The chase was on. Dory, (or at least that's what he though her name was) weaved in and out of poles, took a shortcut through a small park and knocked over garbage cans as way to gain ground. Marlin barely kept up. Not that he wasn't a fast runner, but she looked like she could win the Olympics at this pace. Finally, he was able to catch up with her, slowly getting closer and closer until...

"Will you stop following me? !"

Immediately her cheerful expression changed to one of pure anger.

"I'm trying to walk here!" she exclaimed, attracting onlookers.

"Huh?"

"What?" she asked. This city isn't big enough for ya? Is that it? Huh? !"

"What are you talking abou-?"

She cut him, off, staring him right in the face. "Oh, you got a problem, buddy? Huh? Huh? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya?"

Marlin nearly slapped himself in the face. She didn't seem to notice for she went right on. " You want a piece of me? ! Oh, I'm scared now! Whaat? !"

Finally past his limit, he screamed, "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You were showing me which way the van went!"

"A van!" Dory exclaimed, seemingly delirious. "Hey! I've seen a van! It passed by not too long ago. This way, it went this way! Follow me-!"

"You already told me that!" he exclaimed.

"I did?" she asked. "Oh, dear..."

"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? Because of it is, I'm not laughing..."

"Oh, my gosh," she said. "It's not. It's not funny. I know. I am so sorry. You see, thing is...I suffer from short-term memory loss."

The only thing he could was stare. "Short...term...memory loss..." he repeated blankly. "I don't believe this..."

"No, no, it's true!" replied Dory. "I forget things almost instantly. It runs in my family! At least I think it does..."

Marlin sighed. Of all the people in the world who decided to help him, he got a woman with short-term memory loss.

"Something's wrong with you," he said. "I don't have time for this. I have to go find my son."

Turning around, he stopped dead in his tracks, gasping. The one who caused the gasp only smirked, looking down at both of them.

"Hello."

* * *

**And we all know what happens next. :) BTW, the guy Dory speaks to is not important to the story at all. I'm too lazy right now to add any more OCS. And AiW: Once More shall be updated ASAP!  
**


	5. It's Brucie!

**As it turns out, typing some of my stories every day is a lot better than waiting to get a huge inspiration boost. And comes with it a much better update schedule. :)**

**BFG91**: ***nods* If I owned the movie, that would've definitely happened. But that's another reason why I'm writing this fic. ;) Dory's family/life isn't all peaches and cream, though. More will come in later chappies. And Bruce is here. And maybe it's best that she stays that way. *gives pie***

**Watermelon Juice: *accepts cake* I'm going on a sugar rush! Thanks. And I have no idea of your preference so... *gives cookies***

**Disclaimer: I need to go ahead and get my designs for these guys drawn out. Yeah, I tend to procrastinate. So it would've taken twice as long for this thing to come out if I owned it.  
**

* * *

He was huge.

A brutish hulk of a man, he was at least 6'5", probably taller. He had short, spiky black hair that was lined with white and gray streaks. He wore a white t-shirt that was covered with a black jacket with torn-sleeves and grey jeans that were torn at the hem, complete with black hiker boots. His face was broad with a square jaw and he wore an eye patch over his right eye.

He looked exactly like the person who would abduct Nemo.

Of course, Marlin wasn't going to say that out loud, out of fear that he would be mutilated.

The man only smiled, revealing, strangely sharp, teeth. He spoke with a heavy Australian accent.

"Hello."

"Well, hi!" Dory said, waving. Marlin restrained himself from screaming out of agony.

"Name's Bruce," the man said, extending out a large hand towards Marlin. The redhead only gulped.

Noticing this, Bruce shrugged. "It's all right. I understand. I mean, why trust a thug, right?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he launched his fist forward, only to stop right in front of Marlin's face. The young man jumped back in fear while Dory simply stood there, completely (and miraculously, according to Marlin) unaffected. Bruce pulled back his head and laughed. When he was done, he turned his attention back to the pair. "So, what's a couple of blokes like you doing out here, eh?"

"Oh, um, nothing!" Marlin said, turning around."We're not doing anything. We're not even out!"

Bruce appeared in front of him. "Great! Then I have a favor to ask of you two..."

"Uh, okay."

"How would you like to go to a little...get-together I'm havin'?"

"You mean like a party?" Dory exclaimed, surprising Marlin that she was even listening.

"Yes, yeah, that's right! A party!"

"Oh, I love parties!" she exclaimed.

"Look," Marlin started, desperate to get away. "Parties are fun and tempting but..."

Bruce put his arms around their shoulders and began pushing them in the other direction. "Oh, but I insist!"

"O-kay..."Marlin groaned, resigning to fate. "If...that's all that matters..."

* * *

"Hey, kid! Wake up!"

Nemo stirred slightly and allowed his eyes to adjust to his surroundings. Where was he?

"I said wake up!" a gruff voice yelled into his ear.

The boy's eyes widened in recognition. He immediately leaped up, trying to escape. The two men grabbed him before he could even start to move.

"Daddy! Help! Dad!" Nemo yelled.

Two seconds later, Nemo realized that he was gagged. His hands were tied behind his back. Noticing his legs were free, he started kicking wildly. Eventually, they were restrained as well. Nemo succumbed to fate, his body slumping as he was carried out the van...

And into a plane.

It was relatively small, but large enough for a least three people. It was white with a large black stripe running down the side and had two rather large propellers.

Nemo felt himself being hurled inside. Another ball rolled onto the plane and he felt himself falling asleep once again...

* * *

Marlin felt himself shrink the more he walked. The area they were now in wasn't exactly his favorite. In fact, he was terrified. Shady characters emerged from everywhere. Even the women weren't exactly the type you'd encounter every day. Most gave them questioning looks as they proceeded down the dirty sidewalk, but once they noticed Bruce, they usually turned away.

Obviously this was good thing. If this man had...power in this area, Marlin could relax in knowing he wouldn't automatically be robbed on sight.

The other thing was Dory. She was fairly quiet for most of the ordeal, but occasionally she'd greeted the strangers in various ways. Most would ignore her or give her odd looks, but some would actually say something back or even smile warmly.

Bruce finally stopped in front of an old, torn down store building. It was a dark grey color, with a stone foundation and brick walls. A cracked sign that hung above the door seemed to swing back and forth, almost never ending. It seemed to heighten the eerie vibe the building was giving off anyway.

Seemingly noticing Marlin's hesitation, Bruce smiled. "Ah, don't worry, lad. It's safe."

"Where is everyone?" Dory asked, obviously seeing it wasn't the party she expected.

"Inside, inside. Now, come along." He urged them inside.

Dory immediately obeyed. Marlin didn't feel that he had a choice in the matter and followed suit, still wary. They headed behind the broken down counter and into the back room. Bruce turned on a light and Marlin nearly gasped in fear of the two men approaching them.

"Anchor! Chum!" Bruce called. "We've got company."

"Well, it's about time, mate!" one snapped.

"Let's get on with it!" the other growled.

They got closer and closer. Marlin closed his eyes, anticipating the worst.

Nothing came. Opening one eye, he noticed one of the men giving Dory a stool to sit on. His companion was behind him, giving him a chair.

"Um...thanks," he said, sitting down carefully.

"It's no problem, mate," he replied in a nasally voice. "We like to treat our guests with hospitality, y'know."

_Guests?_

As Bruce pulled out the front what seemed to be a podium, Marlin took a good look at the other two men. One was thin, tall (he towered over the others) and had long black hair that covered the right side of his long, angular face completely. A long scar was barely visible on the right side of his face and and also covered the eyelid of the right of his narrow brown eyes. He wore a torn gray jacket with a white sleeveless t-shirt underneath it, with blue jean shorts and white sandals. The other, who looked the most sane, was lean and had cropped, brown hair that stopped at his eyebrows. He wore a sleeveless brown-green camouflage shirt that revealed an anchor-shaped tattoo on his right arm, grey pants and white shoes that tore at the toe.

All attention was diverted towards the sound of a bell. Bruce leaned on the podium.

"Alright, then. Welcome to meeting five of Brawlers Anonymous. Our meeting has officially come to order. Let us all say the pledge."

The three men raised the right hands in unison and recited, "I am a nice thug, not a mindless fighting machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Thugs are friends, not criminals."

Marlin sat there with his mouth open.

_This is unbelievable._

"Right, then," Bruce continued. "Today is Step 5: Bring A Friend. Now, do you all got your friends?"

"Got mine," Anchor said, pulling a shaking teenage boy from behind a bookcase.

"Hi there!" Dory said.

"What about you, Chum?"

The long-haired man shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I seem to have misplaced my, um, friend. " A bloodied knife stuck from out his pocket and he quickly pushed it back in. Marlin quietly gasped.

"That's alright," Bruce said, seemingly oblivious. "I knew this would be a difficult step for you, so you can help yourself to one of my friends."

While he said this, the boy took the chance to slip out the door.

Chum smiled and immediately grabbed Marlin into a one-sided hug, not realizing that he was slowly crushing his arms. "Thanks, Bruce! A little chum for chum, eh?"

Marlin only smiled, silently whimpering in pain.

Bruce straightened up. "Alright, then, I'll start the testimonies. *ahem* Hello, my name is Bruce."

"Hello, Bruce," Anchor and Chum replied blankly.

"It's been three weeks since my last fight, on my honor, or may I put a gun to my head and pull the trigger," he happily announced.

"You're an inspiration to all of us!" Chum exclaimed.

Anchor nodded. "Amen!"

"Okay, then. Who's next?"

"Oh!" yelled Dory, raising her hand excitedly. "Pick me! Pick me!"

"Yes, the little sheila down in the front," Bruce said, pointing towards her.

"Woo-hoo!" She happily skipped behind the podium as Bruce took his place in her seat. "Hello, my name is Dory."

"Hello, Dory."

"And...I don't think I've ever been in a fight," she said.

The trio started clapping.

"That's incredible," Chum admitted, truly surprised.

"Good on ya, mate!" Bruce replied, shaking his fist. "Anyone else? What about you, mate? What's your problem?"

"Problem?" Marlin asked once he realized the question was being directed to him. "Oh, uh, I don't have a problem."

"Oh, alright..." Bruce said, supposedly sympathetic.

The trio looked at each other, exchanging glances. "Denial."

Marlin was shoved towards the podium. "Just start with your name," stated Bruce as Marlin pulled himself up.

"Uh...hello, my name is Marlin," he started. "I'm a comedian...er, I mean..."

"A comedian?" asked Chum excitedly.

"I never knew that!" Bruce said. "Go on, tell us a joke!"

"Yeah!"

"Um...I actually know one that' pretty good," Marlin said, shuffling nervously. "Um...there's a father and a son. Let's just assume the son is young in this one, but he could be any age. Anyway, the son asks his father..."

He looks to the side and notices a black ski mask on the floor. At the top was an unidentifiable logo. Nemo appears in his mind.

"Nemo!"

"Nemo! That's funny!" Chum laughed before stopping suddenly. "I don't get it."

"For a comedian, he's not that funny..." Bruce whispered.

"No, no," Marlin said, picking up the mask. "My son, he was...he was taken by these stalkers. This was the mask that his kidnapper was wearing..."

"Oh, you poor dear," Dory said sadly.

"Now, there's a father looking for his little boy," Bruce moaned, tearing up. "I never knew my father!"

As Bruce was comforted by his companions, Marlin looked at the ski mask. At the top was a red, circular logo with a silhouette of a face and two others in front of it. Around it on the edge was a phrase written in another language.

"Oh, great..." Marlin grumbled.

"What's up?" Dory asked, nearly scaring him out of his wits.

"I have no idea what this means."

"Hmm...let me see. Hey, maybe those guys could help!"

"Dory, no!" Marlin grabbed her arm.

"Hey, I just want to..."

"No, no, wait!" he protested.

"Let go!"

"Dory...!"

She snatched the mask away, landing flat on her face.

"Are you okay?" Marlin asked, clearly regretting the scuffle.

"Ow...ow..that hurt... Am I bleeding?" she replied, grabbing her nose. A small stream of blood ran down from her left nostril.

"I'm so sorry. You sure?"

Bruce, who apparently was over the last ordeal, noticed her on the ground. "Dory, are you..."

She turned towards him, accidentally revealing the blood on her face. A moment later, he smiled sinisterly, almost hungrily as it seemed. Noticing this, Marlin immediately set to helping her up.

Gladly, Chum and Anchor seemed to note this as well. "INTERVENTION!"

They bum rushed him and held him against the back wall.

"Hold it together, mate!" Chum yelled.

"Remember, thugs are friends not..."

"ARGH!" Bruce broke free, charging at Marlin and Dory. The redhead immediately pulled her out of the way and led her into another room. Slamming the door behind him and bracing it with a piece of furniture, he began frantically searching for a way out. Outside, Bruce rammed into the door repeatedly.

"Hello?" Dory asked, obviously not noting the danger they were in.

"There's no way out!" Marlin yelled, running to and fro. "There's got to be a way to escape!"

"Who is it?"

"Dory, come and help me!"

"I'm sorry! You'll have to come back later," she continued. "We're trying to find a way to escape!"

The only answer she got was another scream of anguish and silence soon after...followed by the sound of a gun click. Marlin immediately yanked her away from the door. He then resumed panicking. "There's gotta be a way out!"

"Oh, here's something!" she exclaimed, looking at an emergency exit across the room. "Cas d'urgence! That's funny. I think it means emergency..."

"C'mon!" Marlin pushed the boxes out of the way and forced the door open. As soon as they got out, a surge of gunshots resounded across the room and Marlin could swear he heard the other door drop to the floor as a familiar voice yelled, "It's Brucie!"

He ran around to the other side of the building and knelled down to catch his breath. Then, a sudden thought struck him. "Dory, you're bilingual?"

"I'm bilingual?" she asked herself before brightening at her revelation. "I'm bilingual!"

"Well, can you read the mask?" A bullet whizzed past them, reminding them of their pursuer. Marlin grabbed Dory's wrist and they began a wild goose chase around the nearby alleys. Weaving in and out of the dark corridors, Marlin kept a firm grip on Dory. Despite the fact they had barely been even introduced to each other before Bruce came along, something in the back of his mind told him that with her short term memory loss and the fact that she had a bleeding nose (not to mention that the blood was probably dried and stuck to her face), she wouldn't survive a minute...and they wouldn't survive if they didn't shake him off soon. Finally, the pair found a crawlspace to get in and took shelter. The mask was dropped in the process but before Marlin could even get to it, Bruce appeared, struggling to get into the hole. Realizing he was too large, the Australian began to hurl himself at the entrance.

"No, Bruce! Focus!" Chum yelled to no avail. He suddenly appeared in front of the hole, leaving whenever Bruce lunged. "Sorry about...Bruce mate!"

Chum arrived soon after. "He's really...a nice guy!"

"I need to get to that mask!" Marlin nearly snapped.

"You want that mask?" Dory asked, determination on her face. "Okay!"

"Dory, no!"

She didn't listen, pressing herself against the side of the hole. Once Anchor and Chum got hold of Bruce, Dory took a chance and grabbed the mask, quickly crawling back inside.

Now, if anyone had known, a black convertible was currently parked in front of the old store. The owner probably had run away due to being frightened by the scene that was, previously, occurring inside. Anyway, as Bruce struggled to get lose from Anchor and Chum, he fired stray gunshots in an attempt to scare them. A few pierced the gas tank and it started to ooze the substance onto the sidewalk...towards a still smoking cigarette. Chum smelled the odor immediately and tapped Anchor on the shoulder. Both let go once they realized what was going to happen.

"Oh, no..."Anchor muttered. "Bruce..."

Bruce gasped once he saw the trail of gasoline streaming towards the cigarette. "Run away! Run away!"

"Aw, is the party over?" Dory asked, emerging from the crawlspace.

Suddenly, a huge explosion filled the night sky, spreading debris and shattered pieces of the car in every direction...

* * *

"Dad? Daddy?" Nemo asked, coming to consciousness.

He looked around, streams of sunlight coming into the small bedroom. Crawling out of bed and steadying himself against the wall, he sighed...

Before running to the window and realizing that he was nowhere near home.

This definitely was not Anaheim.


	6. Meet The Runaways

**Ok, peoples. I'm starting college Monday, which means my schedule may or may not be knocked off. So my updates may go back to their usual schedule, but I'll still try to update anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks like I want to. Probably every Friday since that is my day off...**

**BFG91: You know, I never thought of that. "Toto, I don't think we're in Anaheim, anymore. " Lol. Woah, seriously? He's one of my face charries, so I may have no problem talking to him. Or not... Oh, really? Oh, heck. They're not exactly coming along like I want them to, but since I have someone interested in seeing how they come out, it inspires me to get them done even faster. I'll see what I can do. :) I am soooo waiting for a sequel. Maybe we should send a petition around or something... My goodness, do you have the whole gang there or something? Either that or only Dory's there...  
**

**Watermelon Juice: Glad you enjoyed it! And that mystery is answered in this chappie!**

**ashefurby1313: I must thank one of my newest reviewers so much! I've never had someone review on multiple chapters before! *squees and gives assorted cookie jar* Thank you! No, it's not Gill and the others. And the dentist is given another persona. Which one you say? Not too much info yet. *smiles evilly* But you may be right about him...  
**

**BG-13: Totally. :)**

**Fizzy Starburst: Thank you! *hugs* The French address...I gotta thank you again for clearing that up for me. I overlooked it. It's supposed to confuse others since most in the US wouldn't understand French unless they studied the language...and Dory just happens to be one of them who did. :)  
**

**As thanks, everyone gets virtual cake! *gives cake*  
**

**Disclaimer: Anyone seen the pic on Deviantart called "Dory's Request" where she holds a card that has the words 'Finding Squishy' on it? No, sadly, I didn't make that, but maybe the Pixar peeps would see that and get inspired to make another sequel. Preferably with MXD. :)  
**

* * *

Nemo inwardly panicked. Where was his Dad? His friends? Where was he? Was anyone coming to look for him?

Seeing that he was alone, Nemo tiptoed across the room to the door. Before opening it, though, he could hear voices outside.

"Yeah, it's him."

"Where'd you find him?"

"He was about to fall off the Kidspace museum. One of their open-air exhibits."

"I see."

"So, when's the client going to be here?"

"In time. In time. About a week or so."

"You think she's gonna be happy with this one?"

"Let's hope so. Darla's not exactly the best to be around when she's upset."

_Who's Darla?_

"Hey, Boss! We found them!"

"Throw them in the room with new kid and make sure they don't escape this time! I have enough headaches already!"

A barrage of footsteps suddenly filled the outside hallway. Suddenly realizing he was in the room that they mentioned, Nemo immediately backed up, tripping over a box. The door flung open and a group of teenagers stumbled into the room.

"Well, that worked well," a teenager with short pink-reddish hair and hazel eyes sneered. She was the shortest and had on a white and gray corset blouse and a dark pink skirt.

"I told you that if you moved faster, we would've got past that guy!" another griped. He seemed to be the leader of the group and had white hair with blue and gray highlights. He had dark blue eyes, a long scar on his face and wore a dark blue and white striped collared shirt and black slacks. Looking up, he noticed Nemo. "Looks like we got a new roommate."

"Aw, he's so cute!" The girl who made that statement emerged from behind the small dog pile as they attempted to get up in an orderly fashion. She had black hair with blue highlights that went just past her shoulders and was dressed in a sleeveless dark blue sundress. Her most noticeable feature were her large, light blue doe eyes. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Um...I'm Nemo," he said uneasily.

"Oh, look at him, he's scared to death," she said sweetly. "I'm Debra. You can just call me Deb. I'll introduce you to my sister, Flo, a little later."

"Flo?"

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," the pink-haired girl replied. "Name's Peach. This here is Gill..."

The teen with the white-blueish-black hair nodded slightly.

"...Bloat..."

She motioned towards a younger, overweight teen with spiky brown hair, a round face and small, light brown eyes. He wore a brown jacket with a white collared shirt and brown cargo shorts. He smiled and waved.

"...Bubbles..."

A preteen with short, cropped brown hair and bright reddish-pink eyes flashed a bright smile in Nemo's direction. He wore a yellow long-sleeved sweater and white slacks.

"...Gurgle..."

A rather nervous teen waved slightly. His eyes a bright blue, He had short, cropped yellow hair with purple highlights and wore a purple button-down with gray-blue jeans that wore torn slightly at the hem.

"...and Jacques."

A young man with red hair that stopped just above his eyes and hung over his shoulders, glanced at him before going back to cleaning. He wore a red button down jacket and white dress slacks.

"Yeah, he's always like that," Peach said. "Anyway, I'm from New York, New York."

"Los Angeles," Bloat replied.

"Jacksonville," Gurgle said.

"Seattle," Bubbles proudly announced.

"New Jersey!" Deb exclaimed.

"So, Nemo, huh?" Bloat asked. "Where y' from, kid?"

"Um, I'm from Anaheim, California..."

"Woah, that's some ways," Peach replied, sitting down on a bed.

""What do you mean?"

"Honey, you're in Chicago."

"...Chicago?" Nemo asked, a small squeak in his voice.

"Yep, it didn't take too long for you to get here," Deb admitted. "Mr. Sherman sort of moves around, y'know?"

"Mr. Sherman?"

"Guys, guys," Peach started. "You're giving him too much info on the first day. We can't scare him just yet!"

Nemo recoiled. "Um..."

_"'ello, Darla."_

"What? She's here? !" Bubbles exclaimed, only to get shushed by Peach.

_"Oh, no. No, I'm fine. I've got this wonderful little bloke for ya. Red hair, about 6. Not exactly a fighter. My men picked him up at a museum yesterday."_

Bloat peeked out the window on the door. "...He's on the phone, guys..."

A sigh of relief swept through the group.

_"I know how ye love kids. Especially abandoned, eh? Anyways, when can ye be here? Monday? Oh, that's great. Payment in hand? Good, good. Okay, see ya then!"_

"Oh, dear..." Deb muttered. "I hope he's not talking about..."

"He's coming!" Bloat nearly yelled.

The group immediately ran to their places. Gill lied down on the bed, while Peach grabbed a nearby book and pretended to read. Bubbles grabbed an iPad from under his pillow and started playing with it. Deb grabbed her phone, while Bloat looked out the windows. Jacques continued cleaning. Nemo, new to the whole ordeal, was a bit thrown out the loop when a man opened the door.

"Eh, there kiddies!" he announced somewhat sarcastically. "I guess you got a new playmate, eh?"

The group made no notion that they had noticed him. He shrugged and walked up to Nemo.

"Guess what, little guy? Looks like you're gonna be given a new home very soon. I heard about how mean your dad was and everything and I just wanted to say that I'm here to take that off of ya. Your new mommy's gonna be here in about a week."

Nemo's face remained blank.

"Don't worry, lad! You'll like Darla! She's not gonna hurt you or nothing. Heh, heh! Anyways, enjoy your stay while you're at it!"

He left, leaving Nemo in a state of confusion.

Darla. He had heard that name before but...

"Oh, no," he heard Deb say in this distance.

"Looks like you were right," Peach said, emerging from behind the book.

"About what?"

"*sigh* Darla," Bloat complained.

"What? What's wrong with her?"

"Anybody who goes with her never comes back," Gurgle stated, gulping. "Ever. Only one kid escaped and that was the only thing he could tell us before she took him away again..."

"Poor Chuckles..."

Nemo's eyes widened in fear. "I...I can't go with her! I have to find my Dad!"

Immediately he leapt and dashed towards the window, not expecting to fall between the floor boards into a hole.

"Daddy! Help me!" He yelped. He slowly felt his lungs close from the tight space. The group scurried around him, desperate to make a rescue attempt.

"Nobody touch 'im."

Gill rose from the bed and slowly began to walk towards him. "Nobody touch 'im."

"Can you help me get out of here?" Nemo asked.

"No. You got yourself in there, you can get yourself out."

"But I can't!" the boy protested, wriggling as he slid further and further. "I have asthma!"

Gill's mouth formed a thin line. "That never stopped me." He pulled an inhaler out of his pocket, causing Nemo to gasp. "Now, just figure out what you need to do."

Nemo looked down and began wiggling, swinging his legs and grabbing at the floor boards in an attempt to climb out of the hole. Finally, he was able to slowly pull himself out, collapsing on the floor in relief. The group cheered as Gill smirked with a distance.

"I know that smile," Peach replied. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," he said, nodding." Tonight, we give the kid a proper reception."

* * *

"Dory! Dory, wake up!"

"Hey, Dory!"

_My name isn't Dory..._

_Wait, what?_

_Where am I, anyway?_

_It's pitch black and..._

_Wait a second..._

"Marlin! Hey, there! Are you okay? !"

Marlin opened his eyes, only to see to large brown ones staring back at him. Jumping back, he fell backwards onto the floor.

"Ow..."

"Hey, Dad! He's awake!"

"Who's awake?" Marlin wondered, half-aloud and half to himself.

"Hey, are you alright?" Dory appeared above him.

That's when all the events from the previous night came crashing down on him.

"Oh."

"Hello?"

"Oh! Dory!" he nearly exclaimed, leaping up. "I'm fine! I'm fine! I'm just...*sigh* where are we?"

"At home," she replied.

"Home where?"

"My house, duh," she said, smiling.

"...What?"

"Who are you?"

He looked up to see Elle, who currently had her arms crossed and was glaring at him. "Who. Are. You?"

"I'm...Marlin," he said, a bit intimidated by the woman who was only a few inches shorter than him.

"Marlin who?" she asked, still suspicious.

"Uh, Williams," stated he, a bit nervous.

"What were you doing with my sister?"

"...Dory?"

"Yes, Dory. Doleres. Whatever you want to call her." She nodded, not taking her eyes off of him.

"She was helping me find my son."

"...Your son?" Elle asked, obviously not convinced.

"Yes, my son," he repeated, getting more and more uneasy.

Her mouth formed into a thin line and she turned her attention to Dory. "You know this guy?"

"Yeah!" Dory replied, unnaturally cheery. "I was helping him find his son, Groucho!"

"Nemo," he corrected, sighing.

"Nemo!"

Elle's position softened a bit, somehow convinced that he was telling the truth due to her sister's words.

"You do know she can forget things almost instantly, right?"

"I learned that the hard way," Marlin sighed.

"So, you can relate?" she asked.

"I guess..."

"Huh. " She put her hands on hips, smiling a bit. "I'm Elle. The only one besides my father who doesn't have short term memory loss."

Marlin suddenly understood. Soon, two other women appeared in the doorway, along with a middle-aged man.

"Well?" he asked.

"He's cool," Elle stated, looking back at him.

"...You're not freaking out?" one woman asked.

"What are you talking about?" Marlin asked.

"Well, when we finally found you two, you were asleep," the man, obviously Dory's father, said, smirking. "Dory would not let go."

"And?"

"Have you ever looked at where you slept yet?"

Marlin, realizing that he didn't take a chance to look at his new surroundings, glanced around the room, noticing that it was a light blue color. Behind him was black cherry wood dresser and and in front of him, two identical black nightstands sat on either side of the yellow and blue twin-sized bed.

Twin...

His face turning a complete red, Marlin immediately began to panic.

* * *

**Some things, including the hole, how Dory and Marlin got back, the man and a few others will be explained in the next chappie. So, I'm keeping you in suspense. Cruel? Yes, I know. I know. :)  
**

**Ah, we finally see that this story deviates from the movie not just with the human redos, but the scenes as well. And I'm pretty sure you guys know that a twin bed is made to fit one. ;) Anyways, a new chapter might come very soon. I'm really inspired right now and might be able to get one up maybe as soon as tomorrow.**


	7. Wannahockaloogie!

**Fizzy Starburst: No wonder you were able to notice that so easily! And to think that helped me to write this chapter out, even though the address is different. I'm probably going to reveal it in the next chapter, though. And where the tank gang is, it might be more dangerous than a fish tank. And Ikr? I hate it when it's late at night and you want to have a total fit about something you just read. Instead, you have to sit there with a goofy smile on your face or brood for about an hour.  
**

**BFG91: I don't think you should tell Dory about this. And Elle is younger if I remember. But I agree, though. Despite my shortness, I still look over guys who are checking out my sis. Darla is more sinister than she seems...ok, not too much. Then I'll have to move the rating up. GAH! And you just reminded me to go ahead and get my versions of these charries up! Sorry! A little more time, please?**

**Watermelon Juice: IKR? :)**

**Hedgi: Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Man! Clownfish are tiny! Thought they would've been at least the size of my hand. Shows what I know. Meh. :P  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"You should've seen the look on your face! It was priceless!"

Marlin sighed for the fifth time.

How was he supposed to know that Dory had an iron grip?

Not to mention that that was her bed that they had literally...slept...in...

He gulped, his face starting to flush. Again.

Dory, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice that anything had happened. In fact, she had outright denied even doing it, embarrassed to talk about it even.

But going back to the subject at hand...

Dory's family was a lot different than he had expected. Not that he expected raving lunatics, but considering the fact that she did mention the fact that short term memory loss runs in her family she expected all them to be, well, forgetful.

Elle proved that wrong when she spoke. Same with Leo.

But there was something he wasn't wrong about that was present in everyone.

Endless energy.

And he had the feeling he wouldn't be able to keep up.

Not to mention that, besides Elle, everyone had more height on them than he did, especially Leo, making him feel smaller than he already was.

Marlin sighed inwardly. After that situation, he was pretty sure that everyone would shun him due to that *coughpreviousfactcough*. But no one seemed to mind having him as a guest to brunch that early afternoon. He guessed that once one family member accepted it, the others would just fall in place.

He nibbled on the fries as the family chattered around him.

"So, what happened?" Leo asked him, nearly scaring him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"How'd you meet Dory?" Aida asked, leaning in.

"Oh, Dory!" the redhead nearly exclaimed. "Well, you could say we sort of ran into each other..."

"Oh, really?"

He nodded. "You see, when my son was taken, I chased after his kidnappers and well, didn't exactly watch where I was going and crashed headfirst into each other."

"Ow, that must of hurt," Diana groaned.

"Then I asked her if she had seen a white van and that's where I started to encounter the short-term memory loss."

"So, how did you guys end up in the bad part of town..."

"What are talking about?"

"Covered in debris, Dory clinging onto you for dear life, both of you sleeping like a baby in a place covered in rubble and dust," Elle remarked.

Marlin scratched his head. He could barely remember what happened the previous night, so he let the others know that he needed to think about it for a few minutes. While that was the truth, Marlin also was thinking about the whereabouts of Nemo, if he was hurt, captured or even killed by the ones who took him. He felt as if he had gotten no where in his search for his son, especially with Dory on the case. Not that he wasn't grateful for the help. He just hoped he didn't have to drag her along into this.

* * *

"Hey. Nemo."

The mentioned boy stirred in his sleep, only to roll when he was touched.

"Nemo!"

Still nothing. Jacques sighed and proceeded to shake him fiercely, rousing the young boy out of his sleep.

"Huh?"

"Suivez-moi."

Nemo watched as he sneaked out of the room. After a few minutes, he came back in and sighed. "Follow me."

"Oh! Oh, right." The redhead slipped out of bed and followed his new acquaintance out of the room. They tiptoed downstairs and out of the door.

"Where are we-?"

"Shh!" Jacques said, silencing the 6-year-old. He then waved. A bright light waved about 10 meters away.

"Good, it's clear."

"Clear?" Nemo asked, following blindly. "Clear for what?"

"You'll see," he replied. He led Nemo to the back of the large building, currently unrecognizable in the veil of night. They went through a small grove of trees only to come to a river, where the rest of the group waited with their backs turned.

"Is anyone on our trail?" Gill asked without turning around. Jacques answered a swift no.

Then, as if on cue, all six turned around. Each one was camouflaged...well, on their heads and faces at least, with a different type of plant and some leaves. On their faces was their rather simple, but unique renditions of war paint...complete with two black strips of face paint on the side of their cheeks. As they performed their "ritual," a constant chant of "Ha! Ho! Hwa! Hwee! Ha! Ho! Ho! Ho!" emanated from Bubbles, Bloat and Gurgle until Gill slowly raised a hand and clenched it, silencing them. An uncomfortable silence formed between them during the next few minutes.

"So...are you guys trying to be football players or something?" Nemo asked. The group sighed in unison.

"I told you he would notice!" Peach nearly exclaimed.

"Hey, I thought it would work!" Gurgle complained.

"Guys!" Gill snapped, before lowering his voice. "That's not important right now! You!" He pointed to Nemo. "State your name."

"Nemo."

"Brother Bloat." He stepped from in front of Bloat. "Proceed."

Bloat, his headcover being dead, mostly orange, leaves, approached the confused 6-year-old.

"Nemo!" he announced. "Newcomer wearing a head of orange, you have been called forth to the mouth of the Wannahockaloogie River to join with us in the fraternal bonds of 'nappedhood."

"Huh?" Nemo asked.

"We want you in our club, kid," remarked Peach.

His eyes immediately lit up. "Wow! Really?"

"Only!" Bloat interrupted, nearly scaring him. "If you able to jump in..." He pointed to what seemed like a small waterfall over the edge of the river about 10 feet away. "...the RING OF FIRE! ! ! !"

Nemo waited patiently for something to happen. Finally, after a few minutes, Bloat turned to Jacques." The ring of fire! The ring of fire!"

"Oh!" The redhead immediately dashed into the bushes and pressed a small switch.

"You said you could do this!" Bloat complained just before a barrage of lights lit up at and under the water at the edge of the waterfall. "The Ring of Fire!"

The chant began once again and Deb ushered Nemo to the edge of the bank. It was about a 7 feet drop into a fairly large pool of water, not what Nemo was expecting but he shrugged and took off his shirt and shoes, prepared to jump.

"Isn't there another way?" Peach pleaded. "He's just a boy!"

Deb shielded her eyes as Nemo walked towards the edge. Then, in the next few seconds, Nemo leaped and felt the water cover his whole body as he went under. 10 seconds later, he emerged, unharmed. How the group was standing there when he came up, he had no idea, but gladly accepted Gill's help as he pulled him out of the water.

"From now on, you will be known as Sharkbait!" Gill announced, pointing towards Nemo.

"Sharkbait! Ooh ha ha!" Bloat, Gill and Bubbles chanted.

"Welcome, Brother Sharkbait!"

"Sharkbait! Ooh ha ha!" they repeated.

"Enough with the Sharkbait," Gill replied blankly.

"Sharkbait!" Gurgle started. "Ooh...ba ba doo."

"Okay, Sharkbait's one of us now. Agreed?" Gill put his hand on Nemo's shoulder.

"Agreed," the boys said in unison.

"We can't send him off to his death," Gill replied. "Darla's coming in 7 days, so what are we gonna do? I'll tell you what we're gonna do: we're gonna get him outta here. We're gonna help him escape."

"Woah!" Nemo exclaimed before being shushed. "Really?"

"We're all gonna escape!"

"Oh, no," Gurgle groaned, placing a hand to his forehead.

"Not another one of your escape plans," Deb agreed.

"Gill, I'm sorry," said Peach. "But they..they never work."

"Why should this be any different?" Bloat asked in support of the others.

Gill remained silent for a moment, seemingly taken aback before continuing. "Because we've got him!"

"Me?"

"Listen, kid. Remember that hole you fell in?" Gill asked.

"Yeah," Nemo said.

"Where we are, this whole place is covered in grass, in sort of an abandoned part of the city and that building we're in was built on a street..."

"A street? How can it be built on the street?"

"Didn't I just tell you the whole place was covered in grass?" Gill said, clearly irritated. "How would you know if you didn't look?"

"Okay..."

"The ones who built that place didn't know, Sharkbait. We did...okay, not really...but we figured it out because of that hole you fell through. That's an open manhole and it leads to the sewers. Our feet have been there too many times for us not to know. Do you understand?"

Nemo looked thoughtful for a few minutes before nodding. "Yeah, I think I got it."

"Okay, now, that hole is a little small, so you're the only one who can get in and out of that thing."

"Okay."

"So, what I need you to do is take Deb's iPad, so we can track you, and go down there. There's another manhole about 200 feet away. Only problem is I think it can only be opened from underneath..."

"Umm..." Nemo looked doubtful for a minute before Gill laughed.

"Don't worry," he remarked. "It's easy. I know this from...personal experience."

"But...what if something goes wrong?"

"We're sending you down there with a rope," Gill replied. "If anything goes wrong, tug. HARD. Because I'm pretty sure we may not be able to hear you all the way down there." He smirks, causing Nemo to chuckle. "So, you think you're up to the job, Sharkbait?"

The redhead looked around at the eager faces staring at him and took a minute to think. He turned to Gill and nodded.

"Let's do it."

* * *

"Dory."

"That thief's got my money..."

"Dory."

"Yes, I'm a natural brunette..."

"Dory!"

"Ah! I was framed! I was framed! ...Good morning."

"...Ouch."

"Oh, I"m sorry. Did I..."

"No, it's fine. A slight bruise in the face won't take that long to heal...I hope."

"..."

"What?"

"Where are you taking me?"

"...You forgot already?"

"I did?"

"Chico."

" I thought it was Nemo...oh, wait...Sorry."

"It's fine. You remember now?"

"Yep. It's pretty sharp!...I think."

"At least you know something."

"What something?"

Marlin only sighed and shook his head. Just yesterday, they left for Albuquerque, New Mexico. The family, somehow knowing a language of French, seemed to figure out the writing on the mask. The address, well, it was in English. If Marlin didn't overlook that, he would've known to go to Chicago. The train they were on could go straight there, but due to the fact that Marlin didn't have too much money to begin with. Dory didn't either. So after they made some calls, they pooled something together and decided to head to New Mexico on the Amtrak. There, they would regroup and see if they could either take the bus or rent a car for the time being in order to rescue Nemo. Originally, he was going to head there himself, but Dory's never-ending dedication seemed to, well, soften, his heart and he allowed her to come along.

When they first got on the train, Marlin expected to be embarrassed beyond belief due to her disorder. In fact, it actually made the long train ride interesting. Dory was somehow able to keep a conversation with almost everyone she met and gain a few friends along the way, including ones who would be willing to help if they ever crossed paths. And of course, he wouldn't admit this, but she looked rather cute when she finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

The car they were in is almost empty except for a few other passengers, a family of three and an elderly woman, who was asleep. It was about 5:00 AM in the morning and they had about two hours left until they got to Albuquerque. In an attempt to wake Dory up, Marlin got punched in the face. It wasn't too hard, but it was hard enough for him to remember. Dory just recently remembered the journey they were embarking on, which, according to her family, was rather unusual for her to remember so much. _Maybe it's just you._ Marlin remembered Aida saying. _Some peopl_e _help her to remember more than others. They're the ones that she usually ends up getting the closest to. Like you. Yep, like us.  
_

Marlin rubbed his chin, yawning. Would that mean they would end up being close friends? Anything more...Marlin shook his head. No, that would be impossible. And why he was even considering it...

"Marlin?"

"Huh?"

"You fell asleep," Dory said. "You must have been tired!"

"I fell...Really?" he asked, stretching.

"Didn't you?" She simply stared at him, indicating she had forgotten.

"I...never mind," Marlin sighed, sitting up. "Are we in Albuquerque yet?"

"Yep, just missed it."

"WHAT? ! !" Marlin leaped for the window. He nearly jumped when Dory started to laugh.

"Don't worry," she managed to say between snorts of laughter. "I'm kidding! We're almost there! Loosen up!"

Marlin breathed a huge sigh of relief, not even wanting to take that piece of "advice" to heart.

* * *

**Ah, college. It takes away your time and eats at all your worries. Ah, well. I'm not dead yet and hopefully never will be. I going to put myself on a schedule so I can update at least once a week. I mean, c'mon. I have Fridays off and I can do SOMETHING with my new laptop.**

**Anyways, I wanted to do a little more with this chapter, but realized it was better to end at this point that so it wouldn't drag on and on. Whether or not I have the gang's escape plot in the next chapter, I don't know. But a vicious animal is sure to come next :), along with more scenes in Dory's point-of-view. :D**

**Lots of research went into this chapter. Yes, Amtrak does take about 14 hours to get from Los Angeles to New Mexico and continues onwards to Chicago and back. I could've just made them ride the whole way, but then we wouldn't have Crush and the other wonderful array of minor characters, now would we?  
**


	8. Chase of the Mask

**BFG91: LOL! That makes me laugh everytime I read it. Anyway, I'm not dead...again. I went into a coma for a while though. With Dory, anything's priceless. :)**

**Hedgi: Thanks so much! Gladly summer's coming earlier than normal. :)**

**Watermelon Juice: OMG, IKR? I can't wait 'til he gets here either. It'll probably be a couple of chappies, though, but I have an idea for writing him in here. ;)**

**Fizzy Starburst: Thanks! And it just may be. There's more to Darla than meets the eye and I'll make sure that we'll find out. If I don't get to it fast enough, remind me lol. I tend to forget what I wrote in the other chapters and they don't always tie-in well. I had to make Dory had a supportive family, but there's more to them as well. Really? That scene was actually the hardest to write because I had no idea with Nemo was going to do and how they were going to going to proceed with initiation, lol. **

**StrawberryRainbows: Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me!**

**Teen-Lyokofan7777: Thanks!**

** Disclaimer: Just found out that they were actually planning to make a sequel for Finding Nemo. If only Circle 7 wasn't shut down...**

* * *

"We're lost!"

"No, we're not!"

"Yes, we are!"

"We are what?"

"Lost!"

"Well, why didn't you just say so? !"

"Dory...!"

"Will you two keep it down? ! People are trying to sleep!"

"...In the middle of the afternoon?"

"*sigh* C'mon, Dory!"

Dory felt herself being pulled along. They were currently in Alburquerque, looking for a hotel to stay in for the night. Well, that's how Dory saw it, despite the fact that Marlin had (constantly? She wasn't too sure...) told her that they already booked one. But as it turned out the bus service was down for the day and they had absolutely no chance at catching a taxi for some strange reason. So finally, Marlin resolved to go on foot.

All that and she felt kind of warm as he held her hand. Maybe he's the reason she's remembering things a lot easier...

Marlin stopped at a intersection, waiting impatiently for the walk sigh to light up. Sighing, he raised his head towards the sky.

"So..." he started, trailing off.

"Yeah?" she asked, keenly interested. Like she never wasn't.

"That's your family, huh?"

"Who's my family?"

"Your father, Aida, Diane..."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, not catching an exasperated sigh before they began to cross. "Yeah, that's them. I mean, it's crazy over there. It already is, but I mean...without Mom..."

"Hm?"

"...Nothing," she repiled, completely forgetting what she had just said. "Anyway, they help me out whenever I can, especially Elle. I was told that I had the worst condition in the family besides...besides...ah, well. There was someone else who was even worse off than I was. I just can't seem to remember who..."

Marlin said nothing, shrugging in response. She assumed that he didn't want to pry. After a few minutes of walking in silence, he sat on a nearby street bench, setting the mask down beside him. Dory did the same, trying to ignore the fact that they were sitting so close together.

"*sigh* He's probably dead."

"Huh?"

"Nemo," he said. "He's probably gone, lost, dead..."

"Hey, now." She turned his chin towards her with a flick of a finger. "Don't say that."

"Dory," he groaned. "How are we supposed to find him when we get to Chicago? I mean, it's a huge city, not mention it has it's own set of gangs..."

"Don't go saying that stuff!" she nearly exclaimed. "You just gotta think positive! C'mon!"

Grabbing him by the hand, she nearly yanks him off the bench and onto the ground. Before they could even start walking, he wrestles his hand free.

"What are you-?"

"I'm going to teach you to think positive!" she repleid, clasping her hands together. "So by urging you along, I want to be positive."

"How does urging make me positive?" he asked begrudgingly.

She only smiled brightly, oblivious to the light blush that appeared on his cheeks. "The longer you wait, the more down you're gonna get. And besides you have no idea-!"

"The mask!" he exclaimed, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What mask?" Marlin only huffed and pointed towards the Mastiff puppy running off with it. After a few seconds, they gave chase.

The pup led them over a long stretch of sidewalk, alleyways and even a small park. Bumping into others constantly, Marlin resorted to yelling in order to avoid collision, sometimes scattering large groups of people as the duo chased the rather large, baby canine. Eventually, they caught up with it, cornering it into an alley. Marlin snatched the mask out of the dog's mouth, causing it to whimper and retreat even further into the shadows. He brushed it off.

"See?"

"What?" he asked, seemingly confused.

"You kept going!"

"And what does the possibility of me losing the only thing that could lead me to my son have to do with being positive?"

"Well, you may not have been positive," she said, scratching her head. "But at least you didn't give up."

Not finding anything to say to that, Marlin waved her forward and mentioned that they should get going. As soon as he turned his back, a low growl was heard.

"Dory..."

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear that?"

Then before he knew what he was doing, Dory found herself being almost dragged along as he sprinted out of the alleyway. Behind them, she could swear she felt the ground rumble as the dog chased them down the street.

* * *

"Okay, I think we've lost him."

"...Where are we again?"

"We're in Albuquerque..."

"No. I mean now?"

"A large, but gladly empty dumpster..."

"Oh, I thought so. I recognized it because of the smell."

"..."

"..."

"Ah! Something's touching me!"

"Dory! It's just me!"

"...Are you my conscience?"

"Uh, yeah. We haven't spoken for a while. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Can't complain."

"Ok, then. Dory. What do you see?"

"...It's pitch black."

"And why is that?"

"Well, we're in a dumpster. Marlin and I got chased by a huge dog and jumped in here...Well, I think he's here..."

"Can you look outside?"

"Why?"

"To see if it's safe. Don't worry. I'm right here with you."

"You sure? I don't like going out by myself you know."

"Believe me, I'm stuck with you. I can't help it."

With a little more coaxing, Dory peeked her head out from underneath the top. Seeing that the coast was clear, she helped Marlin out of the garbage, completely forgetting about her "conscience" that she was just speaking to. They tiptoed around the alley they were currently in, looking for any way that wasn't blocked by a fence. Sadly, they also meant that they ran into the dog again.

Turning around, Marlin led Dory by the hand once more, trying his best not to make a sound.

_BARK!_

Well, never mind that plan.

The young woman decided it was her turn to do the running, so she started to sprint as hard as she could, not noticing that he could hardly keep his feet on the ground due to her speed.

"Dory!" he exclaimed.

"What? Am I going too fast?"

"NO! No!" he said. "I was wondering if you could go a little faster..."

"Oh, sure! Why not? !" she shrieked, somewhat sarcastically, but tried anyway. Once the dog was a ways back, they turned a corner, not expecting the canine to race straight past it. They decided to use that moment to catch their breath.

"Okay..." Marlin began, talking quickly. "It seems we're not going to get anywhere unless we give her puppy the mask back..."

"It's a girl?" Dory asked. "How do you know?"

"Why else wouldn't it run after us?"

Dory put his finger up to her chin. "Huh. Good point. So, what's you plan?"

"I'll distract it," he said, brave in her eyes, completely and utterly frightened in his own, "while you read the address. So I can memorize it..."

"You sure?" She turned towards him, genuine concern in her eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine, Dory," he assured her. Dory only nodded, unsure if he was completely sure himself. Marlin leapt out into the alleyway, purposely making a lot of noise. The female (?) turned around and immediately dashed towards him.

Despite the fact it wasn't that high-pitched, Dory wasn't completely sure whether or not she could actually identify him with such a loud scream. Looking at the mask, she started to read it out.

"Okay, the first line says "P. Sherman!"

"Keep going!" She could hear sounds of someone clambering atop of something metal.

"Alright, let's see here..." she looked at the smaller letters. "The next line says "7689 Marquette Ave!"

Marlin yelped, but yelled towards her to finish it.

"Chicago IL, 60812!"

She got no response.

"Marlin? Marlin ? !"

She got another yelp in response. Dory bravely left her hiding place, only to find him dangling off an escape ladder by only one hand. A few people had gathered around, trying to find some way to help, but the dog held her own, growling and snapping at them while at same time snapping at Marlin's feet. Dory racked her brain for a solution, unsure of what to do until she came up with a sudden idea.

Running back to the alley that was the dog's home, she located the puppy and scooped it up, ignoring it's whimpers and pleas to escape. Grabbing the mask, she gave it to the pup, who immediately bit into it and started to wag its tail. Seeing that Marlin didn't have much time left when she returned, for the dog had nearly bit his ankle off, she squeezed through the crowd.

"Hey!"

The mastiff leapt back, seemingly surprised by her outburst. Immediately, she growled at the brunette.

Dory set the puppy down. "Here."

Upon seeing her offspring, the dog watched docilely as the puppy lumbered toward her, the mask in its mouth. Seeing that they were no longer a threat, she immediately knocked Dory to the ground and licked her face repeatedly, gaining giggles in response. Marlin, who was helped down from the ladder, could only stare in surprise and smile a bit. It warmed his heart to see her laugh.

Until he was the one getting slobbered on.

* * *

"Hey, sharkbait."

"Hi, Peach." The redhead sat up and adjusted his position as the teenager sat down.

"What ya thinking about?" she asked.

"Well, about what you said about the plan not working...what did you guys mean?"

Peach looked down, seemingly considering her response.

"...We've...been here for a while," Peach admitted. "When we were small enough to fit down there, Gill was the first to venture into the sewers. We almost lost him and the only thing that saved him was that when he was down there, well...this huge wave of water just came out of nowwhere. If it wasn't for the rope he had tied around his waist, we wouldn't be able to pull him back in."

Nemo gulped unconsciously, causing the adolescent to pull him into a half-hug.

"Now, don't worry, Sharkbait," she cooed, trying her best to calm him down. "Nothing's going to happen, okay? We won't let you go. We would never do that to you..."

"I still want to do it."

"Really?" she asked, suddenly surprised. "You sure?"

Nemo nods, only to stop and sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I have to do it," Nemo said. "My dad...he's not looking for me."

"What are you talking about?" Peach asked, genuine concerned. "Nemo, what happened?"

"I...before I got here," began the redhead, on the verge of crying. "I made him mad."

"For what?"

"I did something he told me not to do. And then I was taken...here..."

Peach kept silent for a moment. "So, you think that because you made him angry for disobeying him that he's not looking for you."

Nemo sniffled, nodding in response.

"You shouldn't be the one saying that," Peach muttered, wrapping her arms around her knees as she curled into herself. Nemo only looked at her quizzically until she waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Just stay strong okay?"

Nemo nodded, taking her words to heart. Ruffling his hair a bit, she slid off the bed and left the room, only to run into Gill.

"Peach..."

"Don't worry about me, Gill," she said, smiling. "I'm fine."

She only walked past, knowing that he didn't believe her. That there was much more to her words that Nemo could comprehend.

In fact, he knew.

* * *

**Ahhhh...*sighs in frustration* I'm not dead. Just busy, busy, busy. This chapter didn't come out as good as I thought it would and I know you guys have been waiting for a while *coughtwomonthscough*. My mind is in a total funk right now, so I'll just leave some notes. And I PROMISE an early update. Gladly, I have three weeks until summer (we get out earlier than most), so I'm going to devote most of the first two or three weeks to art and writing (and I'll push myself if I have to) so I can catch up on some stuff.**

**A mastiff is a huge dog. He's like the large version of a beagle and a German Sheppard sort of mixed together. The Great Dane is taller, but the mastiff is a lot larger. They're usually pretty friendly, but I'm pretty sure that like any other dog that if you mess with their pups, you're dead. But tell me if I'm wrong. Also, the reason the mastiff's a female is because in the movie, only a female angler fish has that "light" to attract prey. Look it up. I was surprised, too.**

**Marquette Ave is a real street in Chicago (I have some family there). The numbers probably aren't real, though. **

**Nothing else to say here. The link's down there if ya want.**


	9. You Don't Like Me?

**I'm back! And extremely surprised and honored by the reviews I received for the last chapter. TWELVE REVIEWS? Wow! Thank you all! *gives virtual cake*  
**

**One minor note, though:  
**

**The coma thing was a joke. Really. Sorry, guys. I didn't expect you to take me seriously like that.  
**

**It was a way of saying that I had been really busy over the school year and my inspiration was seriously waning. But since it's summer now...  
**

**Oh, well, I'm updating now, aren't I?  
**

**Hedgi: Oh, it does. It does. Thank you!  
**

**Watermelon Juice: IKR? Thanks!  
**

**Galaxina-the-Seedarian: Hopefully you weren't referring to the coma. But, thank you!  
**

**CJ-Gregg-Concannon: Request granted! In fact, it was already granted, but at first, I had no idea where to put without being totally random.  
**

**Teen-Lyokofan7777: Thank you so much! You just helped me out a lot with your suggestion! And Crush being the paramedic...hmm...maybe...  
**

**sandra: Hmm...I think I can do something with one or two of these...  
**

**BFG91: Yes, I'm fine. But no prob! Thanks!  
**

**nemiah: Aww! Thanks!  
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**Hiro-san Hyuuga: :)  
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**SideshowJazz1: I know what you mean. But someone's gotta do it, right? (And at least finish it that so we're not left in the dark)  
**

**LittleMissPanda84: And I'm glad that you're glad that you found this story! Thank you!  
**

**Disclaimer: I'm here typing this. 'Nough said.  
**

* * *

"...What?"

"I gave it the mask..."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? !"

Dory only shrugged. Marlin, on the verge of a mental breakdown, turned around and took a deep breath. They were currently in a hotel. In the room to be exact. With two beds. Just so no one would get the wrong idea. Including the guy at the counter who gave them weird looks when Marlin asked for a room for the night. Which was beside the point. Dory sat on the bed across from him, her expression as calm as ever as she leaned forward, holding her face in her hands.

"So...without the mask...we can't find Nemo...then how are we going to get there now? !"

"P. Sherman. 7689 Marquette Ave. Chicago IL, 60812."

"Wait, you remember it?"

"Remember what?" she inquired.

"The address!" he nearly yelled, before realizing where he was and calming down.

"Oh!" she replied cheerily. "You mean..."

"Dory..." She suddenly found herself enveloped in a hug. "This is perfect!"

She simply stood there for a few seconds before realizing that she had been spoken to. "Yeah, it is! What's perfect?"

"The fact that you actually remember the address!" Marlin nearly exclaimed. Dory's face lit up in recognition. "Oh, yeah! I did remember it, didn't I?"

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "Dory…I….this is just…I won't be able to thank you enough if we find him."

"Hey, just being here with you is good enough," she said. "I mean, I don't have a lot people who would stick by my side like this…"

"Because of your short term memory loss?" he asked, sitting down.

"Huh?" She then nodded her head before he got a chance to sigh. "Oh, yeah. I mean, having to go through life with people thinking that you're crazy or just plain stupid. And they'd think that after they knew that you had short-term memory loss that you wouldn't remember them or the little gestures or hints they make towards your condition. And that's the thing. You don't remember them. You just remember what they said…and that's the one thing you'd rather forget…"

Marlin was instantly reminded of their first encounter. "Oh, Dory. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean...I didn't mean to come off as that kind of person…"

"Don't worry about it." She sent a small smile in first direction, causing his face to heat up unintentionally. "I'm not one to hold a grudge. I understand. I mean, who would actually want someone who can barely remember her own family…her own name even to help them find a missing family member?"

"Well…before now, I know I wouldn't," he admitted. "And to tell the truth, I don't think I'd want anyone else to help. Just saying."

"Huh." She looked away bashfully, rubbing her arms and smiling. Realizing that he was staring, Marlin cleared his throat and looked away. "Well, then. I guess we'd better hit the sack."

"Ok," agreed Dory, stretching. "I'll see you in the morning, then." She leaned back onto the pillow and rolled over towards him, closing her eyes.

"Yeah, you too," he said softly. "Goodnight, Dory."

He was met with the sound of soft snoring. Shaking his head at how fast she fell asleep, he flicked off the lamp and settled his head on his pillow, his mind filled with worries that he'd rather not burden her with. Taking a picture out of his pocket, he barely saw the outline of two figures, one with their arms around the other's neck.

"Goodnight, Nemo."

* * *

Nemo slowly curled into himself as he tried to get some sleep. Thoughts of his recent kidnapping plagued his mind as he constantly wondered how he was going to get out of his current predicament. Sitting up slowly, he looked around. Bubbles turned and tossed in his sleep, his face stressed as he experienced a nightmare. Bloat sprawled out across the bed to right of the blonde, snoring loudly. In the bed across, Deb was furled into Gurgle's embrace, both sleeping rather peacefully as the night went on. Peach was currently asleep on Gill's shoulder, his hand stroking her hair softly as she snoozed.

"Can't get any sleep, sharkbait?" he asked, surprising Nemo.

"…Yea…"

"Worried about getting back home, huh?"

"Uh-huh," the redhead murmured.

"What happened?"

"Wha?" Nemo's head snapped up.

"I mean...how'd you get here?" He turned his head towards Nemo, careful not to wake Peach.

"Well…I was on a field trip," The six-year-old began, clutching his pillow. "And I…um…went to this museum. "And me and these other kids…we decided to explore the museum we went to. And well we came to one that wasn't done yet and the room we were in had windows with no glass. And there was this pole and well, it stuck out one of the windows. So, Sheldon, he got on first. After that, Tad and Pearl got on, too…"

Gill nodded his head, indicating that he was listening.

"And I wasn't gonna go. But my dad came and he thought I was. So, I got mad and when he wasn't looking, I jumped on the pole. But when he told me to come inside, that's when this guy came and grabbed me." Nemo fell silent, expecting Gill to start scolding him and telling him how bad he was.

"I see."

"…"

"So, do you miss your Dad, kid?"

Nemo only nodded, burying his face into the pillow. "Yea…"

"He's probably worried," remarked Gill. "Out there, looking for you…"

"He's not looking for me," Nemo mumbled. "He's afraid of the world."

Suddenly, Bubbles awoke, gasping for breath. Seeing that he was safe in bed, he slowly burrowed back under the sheets. Gill and Nemo remained frozen until they could hear him snoring slightly.

"You saw what just happened?" questioned Gill, nodding towards Bubbles. "He was probably dreaming of the day he lost his father."

"…Lost?" Nemo murmured.

"His dad…he went to work…never came home that day," Gill replied, making sure not to reveal too many details that so he wouldn't frighten the young redhead. "He loved the water and every once in a while, his dad would bring him some bubbles and they would blow them together every single time. Now, they're all he has left."

"Gurgle and Deb's parents, they were good friends with each other. Very close. And Deb's folks had a lot of money, too. But Gurg's mother…she wanted that money. So, one day, she went and killed her parents and his dad and set their house on fire. Gurgle and Deb escaped. His mom, well….she was trying to see where they kept their money. She never made it out. And Deb had a twin sister named Flo who didn't survive either. That's why she talks to herself in the mirror so much."

Nemo gulped, not expecting to hear such tragic backstories of the people he just met.

Gill continued. "Bloat's parents died when he was a baby, so he moved in with one of his aunts. He wasn't treated very well and ended up running off. Ended up here. Didn't know that it was going to turn into such a hellhole...er…sorry about that. Force of habit…Anyway, Jacques…well, I don't really know how he got here. The only thing I can guess is that his foster home dropped him off at the wrong place. That's all he told me.

"Peach here…her dad never loved her and one day, he just left. Left her at home and got Mr. Sherman to pick her up. And me…well…you could I say I…hung out with the wrong crowd…y'know, um…"

"Bullies?" Nemo asked quietly.

"Yeah, that's it," he said, smiling sadly." Bullies. My parents were kinda like your dad. They wanted me safe. They weren't scared of the world. They were just worried about me. I didn't listen to them. Finally, one day, the police caught me. I never expected not to have a home to come back to once I got of jail. Mr. Sherman picked me and I thought I was going to have a family to replace them. It didn't turn out that way…Sharkbait, I'm not trying to scare you or make you feel bad. But at least you have someone out there…"

"But…I told my dad that I hated him," Nemo painfully admitted, tears streaming down his face.

"…Did you really mean it?"

"…I don't know…" Nemo shrugged slightly and yawned. "Gill?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think I can do it? You know, escape…"

Yawning a bit, he simply stared at Nemo, a bit surprised. "Of course, I do."

"But…you know I have asthma…"

"Like I said it, never stopped me," Gill said. "Had it all my life. And I've done a lot more stuff. You can do it."

Nemo smiled a bit. "…Do you think Dad believes in me?"

Gill only nodded, slowly moving as not to disturb Peach as he carefully slid her into the bed. Sighing, he walked over and ruffled the six-year-old's hair.

"You'd best be getting to sleep, kid," he said. "We've got a big day tomorrow."

* * *

"Two tickets for Kansas City, please."

"Here ya go." The lady behind the window took the money and pulled out two tickets, eagerly handing them over. "Enjoy your ride, sir."

"Thank you." He nodded and walked out the station, where Dory patiently waited on a park bench, constantly repeating the address to herself. Rolling his eyes, he sighed. He almost regretted what he said last night. Not that he didn't mean it…did he?

The peace was suddenly interrupted as a nearby cell phone started to belting out "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors. Dory dug into her pocket and slid up the screen. "Hello?"

"Dory!" Another voice screeched. Marlin could hardly believe how loud it was as she voiced her displeasure…and Dory simply sat there calmly and took it.

"Marie!" she said after a minute of yelling. "Nothing happened! Did Dad tell you?"

"No one did!" Marie could be heard exclaiming.

"Um, Dory?" Marlin asked.

"Excuse me for a sec," Dory said. She covered the receiver with her hand. "What's up?"

"Would you mind turning that down? I can hear her from over here…"

"Oh! Sorry!" Blushing from embarrassment, she hardly began pressing the button before another question rang through the speaker. "Who's that?"

Dory put the phone up to her ear. "Oh, it's just Marlin…What? ! No! It's nothing like that! Shush! He'll hear us!"

Marlin could hardly believe how the young woman turned into a teenager in a matter of seconds as she squealed and denied 'Marie's' comment. The conversation continued, making him realize how surprisingly (and unfortunately) naive and vulnerable she was.

That's when he decided that it was time for them to part ways.

Not that he didn't enjoy her company, but he just didn't think she was mentally prepared for the rest of the trip. He was simply doing this for her sake.

"Alright, bye," she giggled, closing the phone. "Well…go in and get the tickets."

"I did," he replied, rubbing his neck nervously.

"You did?" She looked surprised. "Wow, that was fast."

"Um, Dory…" He sat down on the park bench next to her. "Listen, um…"

"Yeah?"

"I think…I think maybe it's time that…you and I…well, you go…back…"

Her smile slowly faltered. "Back? Back where?"

"Well, home."

"…Why?" she squeaked.

"Well, it's not…I just don't want anything to happen to you, that's all…I mean, I think it would be better if we just, y'know parted ways…and…"

He stopped when he heard the sound of sniffling.

"You mean…you mean you don't like me?" she mumbled.

Didn't see this one coming.

"No, Dory," Marlin said quickly, trying to reassure her. "I didn't mean it that way. I like you. I do. It's because I like you that I don't want to be with you. It's a complicated…emotion."

He put a hand on her shoulder, not expecting for her to shake it off and cover her face with her hands as she cried. "Don't cry. I like you."

"Hey, lady."

Both turned to see two men. One was dressed rather casually and looked to be in his late 30s, his black hair starting to recede on his head. He was dressed in a brown jacket, white button-up shirt and blue jeans that barely contained his stomach. The other was dressed head-to-toe in black and white, red suspenders being the only color that stood out. He was a bit taller than his companion, had black wavy hair and wore a black newsboy cap. His whole face was covered in white except for his red lips and the black outline around his eyes.

"Is this guy bothering you?" the first asked, glaring at Marlin.

"I…I don't remember," she admitted truthfully, turning to the redhead. "Were you?"

"Oh! No! No!" Marlin quickly retored. "Hey! Do you guys know how to get to…"

"Look, pal," the man said. "We were talking to the lady."

Marlin crossed his arms. "Fine."

The other bowed formally and pulled a rose out of his pants pocket, giving it to Dory.

"Thank you," said she, smiling a bit. Marlin only rolled his eyes as the young man winked back at her. His friend drummed his fingers on his chin before smiling.

"Hey, hey. You like impressions? Charades?"

"Mmm-hm." She nodded.

He nodded towards the other man, who held a finger up. He then placed his hands in front of him, his expression changing to one of a shock.

"So, what's up with my friend over here?"

"I know! I know this one!" Dory exclaimed, perking up. "Um…"

"He's trapped in a box," Marlin growled.

The mime folded his arms and glared at him.

"Hey, redhead, let the lady guess," his partner sneered. "You're on, chum."

Returning to his act, the young man acted as if he was thinking. He then silently snapped his fingers (A/N: The irony, right?) and hunched over, slowly starting to rise as he "struggled" with an invisible object.

"Oh! Oh!" She leaned forward, racking her brain. "It's on the tip of my tongue!"

"He's lifting weights," Marlin coughed.

The mime pointed a finger at him, obviously irritated that he had interrupted his act.

"What?" Marlin shrugged.

"Okay, how about this one?"

Wagging his eyebrows towards Dory, the man started to dance with an invisible partner.

"Um, skipping!" said the brunette.

"Close enough!"

The mime then straightened and lifted his arms and legs in unison as he marched around the bench. Fed up, Marlin leapt up from the bench.

"Would someone please give me directions?" he yelped.

The dark-haired brunette copied Marlin's frustrated pose, causing Dory to laugh. For the next few minutes, the redhead grew more and more irritated as the performer mocked him.

"Thank you," he murmured, turning around quickly and setting off.

"Oh, dear," Dory remarked, jumping up to follow him. "Hey, where ya going? What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" he repeated, turning on his heel to face her. "Well, while they're doing their silly impressions, I am miles away from home, with a woman who can't even remember who own name."

While this was happening, the mime appeared, mimicking Marlin's expressions.

"Wow, must be frustrating."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah. Meanwhile, my son is out there…"

"Chico?"

"Nemo…"

"Right."

"But it doesn't matter," Marlin groaned, his hands falling to his sides. "Because no one is going to help me."

"Well, I'm helping you," she admitted. "Wait right here."

"Is he bothering you again?" the middle-aged man asked.

"No, go easy on him guys," she pleaded. "He lost his son, Fabio. Do you guys know how long it would take to get to Chicago from here?"

"Are you kidding? !" the middle-aged man exclaimed. "Must be your first road trip, huh? Anyway, on foot, you're getting nowhere…"

The mime started walking in slow-motion, acting exhausted.

"But, by car, if you drive straight, it should take about, what? 2 days?" He turned towards his partner who only nodded eagerly. "On train, it'll take a little longer, but that might be your best bet. Unless you're strapped for cash…"

The young man made the motion of having empty pockets and shrugged. Dory only nodded.

"Then it's better to take the bus. Not as comfortable, but the price might ease your conscience a bit."

"Great!" Marlin exclaimed. "That's great! Dory, you did it!"

Dory blushed and clasped her hands together. "Oh, please. I'm just your little helper. Helping along, that's me."

"Well, listen fellas, thank you." Marlin shook each of their hands.

"Don't mention it," the middle-aged man said, waving it off. "And uh, loosen up. Okay, buddy?"

Marlin smiled. Just before turning around, the mime tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards Dory, giving him a thumbs up. The redhead blushed and smiled sheepishly before shrugging and heading back towards the bus station. Dory approached both of the men.

"Oh, you guys," she remarked. "You really nailed him. Bye!"

"Oh, hey, ma'am, one more thing."

"Yes?" She turned back around.

"Listen, I'm pretty sure you're headed to Kansas City if you're headed to Chicago," the middle aged man replied. "There's an unfinished neighborhood there that has hardly any streets in it. I know because I used to live there. Anyway, it looks shady, but it's not. If you want to avoid trouble, go through it. Unless you get a car between here and Kansas City, it will be safest way to avoid the traffic, especially during rush hour. And it's a clear shot to one of the cheapest, but better quality hotels in the city, okay?"

"Alright," said Dory, pointing towards her head that so she remembered.

"Remember, go through it, not around it!"

"Thank you! I'll remember!" she nearly exclaimed, running off to catch Marlin.

"Ah, young love," the man said, not expecting his friend to cross his arms in disgust. "Hey, it's not my fault that you didn't get the girl."

"Whatever, man," the young man groaned. "She's probably better off with him, anyway."

* * *

**Quick thing. I have no idea how I'm going to incorporate Marie into the story, so I'll go ahead and give you a description. Apparently, when I thought of her, the words 'Strawberry Blonde' popped into my head. So, to make a long story short, Marie is a light strawberry blonde with a fiery personality who can be level-headed when she needs to be and has been friends with Dory since middle school. But there shall be more on Dory's personal life later.**

**Yeah, the "neighborhood" is obviously fake. I had to create...something.  
**

**Anyways, looks like Nemo's trial run is coming the next chappie. I'll shall be working overtime to get a much better update going, but no promises!  
**


	10. PULL!

**After desperately trying to update both Aiw:Once More and this chappie on the same day, I decided to go ahead and update this one. Again, no excuses as to why I haven't posted for two months. Lost inspiration and then suddenly had a temporary job! And started college! Gladly, I don't hav as much homework! So, I hav more time for this!**

**I think...**

**Anyways, one night I literally gained inspiration and started writing everything out. I tried to combine quite a bit of ideas, even though I did change them up a little bit. Somehow it's...well I'll let you be the judge of that. Let's just say in ALL the current charries are about to go through hell! No, I mean it.**

**And OMGFTWI'm so happy! A sequel for Finding Nemo 2? That better not be a rumor! And cannot wait for FN in 3D! Comes out three days before I turn 19, so *squee*.**

**Hedgi: So tempting to reveal this to you...but right now, in this one, it's better the other way around. Read on. :D**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian: Yesh. :P And shall they? We shall see...**

**PrettyLiteral: Ikr? They grew on me ever since I discovered the couple! Thanks!**

**SideshowJazz1: Took a lot of thinking, though, lol.**

**sandra: Hmm...sort of. I tried to combine some ideas in this one. It's a little more tragic though. *gasp* And thanks!**

**LittleMissPanda84: Hearing that someone smiled made me smile. This one...maybe not so much. ;D**

**Celestial Rainstorm: You're looking at another fan right here. :)**

**Guest: Thanks!**

**Saphirascale: Aw! Thanks you!**

**Teen-Lyokofan7777: That's actually what I planned to do originally. :)**

**The Invisible Enchantress: YES! I made someone sad! I mean...*ahem* Thanks. I really appreciate it. XD**

**Mr. Edward Nigma: At first I was confused. Now, I'm going to take this as a compliment since I finally understood what you said. :)**

**picahuesos: Um...Gracias! Me alegro de que te guste!**

**iluvhghttyd: First of all, love the username. Secondly, thank you! And I never listened to the soundtrack while reading a fanfic. I think I'll try that sometime...**

**Alright, peoples. Get ready for peril!**

**Disclaimer: Finding Nemo 2 is rumored to be in production. Pixar, put in MXD, darn you!  
**

* * *

"How come we can't use the one under the house?"

"They'd suspect something, kid and besides, there's another manhole just like it, not too far off from the river. So, are you ready, sharkbait?"

"I think so."

"Rope."

"Tight."

"iPad?"

"Angry Birds works great!"

"Stay focused, kid."

"I'm just saying it works."

"Ok. Anyway, boots?"

"...They fit...I guess."

"Padding?"

Nemo knocked on his bicycle helmet, smiling eagerly.

"Alright."

Gill and Bloat then slowly hauled off the rusted cover to the manhole. Shining a flashlight into it, they watched as Nemo lowered himself down on the ladder. Reaching the bottom, the redhead looked around cautiously and covered his nose, taken aback by the horrid smell. Turning on his flashlight, he began to slowly venture into the dark sewers. After about a minute, the iPad lit up and Gill's face appeared on the screen.

"What's up, sharkbait?"

"So far, so good," Nemo answered, nodding.

"Ok, then," The teen continued. "Tell me when you get to an intersection. Y'know, a fork in the path."

"Got it!" With that, Nemo started to walk briskly, a bit excited that he was able to do something by himself. Well, almost. He was just glad that someone trusted him enough to do it.

What would his Dad think if he knew where he was right now?

After a few minutes of what seemed like endless wall, Nemo came to a crossroads.

"Alright, Gill. I'm here. What's next?"

"Head left," Gill answered. "You're almost there."

Nodding, Nemo turned his attention back in front of him. Sure enough, to his left, there was a ladder not too far off. Heading in that direction, he examined the task before him and began to climb, not realizing that the manhole was locked and his head made contact with it.

"Ow!" Rubbing his head gingerly, the boy noticed that there was a rusted lock right above his head. Moving carefully, he lifted his right arm and began to fiddle with the mechanism, ignoring the sounds in the background. Leaning back, he nearly lost his footing.

"Aah!"

"Gill, I don't think this a good idea…" he heard Peach say.

"He'll be fine," Gill replied. "Try again."

"Ok…" Nemo said, unsure of his abilities. Slowly, he started to examine and fiddle the lock once more. Soon enough, it budged. Pushing harder, Nemo heard a loud click. Pushing against the manhole, he rose slightly and smiled brightly, proud of himself.

"I did it! I did it!" he exclaimed. An uproar of cheers resounded through the iPad's speakers before suddenly being hushed.

"Good job, sharkbait," Gill announced happily. "Now, we'll be right there. Just wait."

"Got it," Nemo said, proud of himself. A sudden hissing sound alerted his attention.

That's when the hiss turned into a loud roar.

And straight ahead was a huge torrent of rushing water.

Scrambling off the ladder, Nemo ran as fast as he could in the direction he came from, trying to keep his eyes on the rope as the sewers slowly began to be filled with water.

"GILL!"

"Nemo!"

Looking ahead, he noticed Peach sticking her head out of the manhole, her face filled with worry.

"C'mon, sharkbait!" Gill beckoned with his hands. Nemo began to climb up the ladder.

"That's it. That's it," He coaxed. "Almost there."

Reaching out, Nemo prepared to grab Gill's hand.

And suddenly found himself being yanked down as the rope was sucked into the rushing water and it pulled him along with it.

"Help! ! !" he screeched, the torrent nearly drowning out his cries.

Gill grabbed the remaining rope before it could be pulled down with the six-year-old.

"PULL!"

* * *

"Wow, this is a lot different than I thought Alaska would be…"

"Dory…we're in Kansas City, remember?"

"Oh, right!"

Marlin sighed and smiled before getting up from the park bench that they were currently sitting on.

"Too bad we couldn't rent a cab," he replied.

"Hey, it's not that bad," Dory remarked, getting up and brushing herself off.

"…Good point. So, where do you suppose we go?"

"Um….this way!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and dragging him off.

"Dory! Dory! Wait!" Marlin wringed his hand away. "Do you even know where we're going?"

"Nope!"

Marlin frowned as the brunette stared on, clearly not catching the gist of his irritation. Sighing, he grabbed her hand and announced that he was going to lead, all the while, trying to ignore the warm sensation going between them. Dory blushed and said nothing, hoping that he wouldn't look back and realize that she was silently enjoying this moment.

They strolled along the streets of Kansas City for a while, Marlin constantly glaring at his cell phone as it kept losing service, preventing him from using GPS for the nearest hotel. Dory simply followed along, taking in the sights. At the same time, she was constantly racking her brain for something that someone told her not too long that was pretty important. If only she could remember…

Marlin stopped dead in his tracks, his face completely drained of color. A dark, dreary neighborhood with no roads and only grass and sidewalk sat up ahead. Only a few people were moving about in the area, greeting each other…rather happily. One even waved at the couple as they stood there. Dory, who was still lost in thought, realized that they had stopped and looked ahead.

_Oh._

"Um…well," Marlin cleared his throat and started to turned around, bringing Dory with him. "I guess we should go around then."

"Marlin?" she asked, somewhat uncertain of his recent decision.

"What?"

"I know this may sound a bit crazy, but something tells me that we should go through there…" Marlin stopped in his tracks and turned around, a sarcastic smile on his face. He laughed for a few seconds and frowned almost immediately after. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she asked, her resolve not changing.

"Look at that place!" He motioned towards the broken down area. "Someone could leap out and mug us at anytime! They could be hiding in the shadows…"

"Looks pretty deserted to me," Dory replied blankly.

"That's what they want you to think," Marlin sneered.

"Well, it is what I think." She crossed her arms, her face rigid with determination. "I think we should go through. I really do."

"…You actually think we should go in there?"

She only nodded.

"Could you be any more…wait! Look!" He frantically pointed towards a lighted alley. "Over there!"

"What?!"

"I saw him! Nemo's kidnapper! He just went through that alley! Let's go get 'em!"

"Oh!" Immediately forgetting her original objective, Dory followed after the redhead, unaware of his motives. As soon as they went inside, Marlin glanced around as if he was searching for the supposed "kidnapper." Darn it! Just lost 'im…"

"Huh, he was pretty quick, though," Dory remarked casually.

That's when a hand clasped over her mouth. She almost screeched, but was immediately silenced by the feeling of a knife against her neck. Her eyes widened and she started sweating. Marlin simply stood there in disbelief, knowing that the silent, masked man would immediately slice her neck open if the redhead made any sudden movements.

* * *

Time seemed to stop. He didn't mean for this to happen. This was just to distract her so that didn't have to get through that...place. Just a distraction.

This is why he hated making hasty decisions.

The mugger started to move backwards towards an open door, his eyes on Marlin the whole time. Dory was frozen, limply following her attacker as he dragged her back to his domain. Knowing that time was short, her companion's eyes darted around, looking for an idea.

A lone garbage can lid sat off to the side.

Almost at the door, the mugger watched carefully as Marlin seemed to be backing up slowly, seemingly scared for his life. He looked behind Dory and removed the hand from her mouth to open the ajar door.

_CLANG!_

He fell to the ground with a huge thud, his hands on his head, the lid lying very close to his cranium.

Before she knew it, Dory felt someone grab her hand and yank her out the alleyway, nearly causing her to trip. She stumbled along as Marlin sprinted for his life, his grip tight on hers. Once out in the open, they noticed they that were in a small park. Seeing a grove of clumped trees, Marlin whisked her along in that direction, dodging overhead branches and other things. After a few more minutes, he stopped, panting heavily. Dory didn't say anything, still taking in what had happened.

That's when she heard a certain buzzing sound.

Looking behind her, she noticed a bee's nest hit the ground. The hive suddenly became alive with a loud _buzz._

She wasted no time in grabbing his hand and doing the same thing he did to her only moments ago. Dory then heard Marlin yelp. He had probably noticed their dilemma by then.

What was only about two minutes seemed to take hours. The bees followed them at every turn they took throughout the park, getting closer every time. She swore silently that she could almost feel them as they crept up behind the pair, relentless in getting revenge for disturbing their home.

She then noticed a creek up ahead.

And 30 seconds later, a sudden woosh filled her ears as water rushed around them. While under, she saw Marlin break the surface and immediately pulled him back down. He almost panicked, but she held him down by his shoulders. Looking above her while struggling not to float back up, she saw a blurry cloud slowly dissipate in a matter of seconds. A few seconds later, her body demanded air and she burst out the water, gasping for air. Marlin soon followed suit.

He voiced his satisfaction at her suggestion to suddenly place his cell down by the riverside.

Dripping wet, they pulled themselves out of the water. Due to the cool breeze that had suddenly begun to blow, they knew that they had to get inside soon. They cautiously made their way through another grove of trees, following the sound of civilization. Rather busy civilization. A bad feeling entered Marlin's gut. Something didn't seem right. Arriving on the other side, he watched in disbelief as cars almost speeded past and people crowded the sidewalks, desperate to get home. He looked at his cell.

5:05 PM.

Figures.

Grabbing Dory's hand, he mentioned that they should try to stick together. She only nodded in response. Then, looking across the street, she nearly gasps out of happiness and points. Following her motion, Marlin almost leaped out of joy. Across the street was a small hotel, perfect for checking in and getting dried off. The only problem would be getting there.

The crowds weren't that much of a problem. They were dying down rather quickly and this might have been because the taxis were actually stopping for potential customers.

The traffic, however…

Due to a sporadic stoplight, a green light could last for 30 seconds, while a red light could go for a little less than 10. The crowd seemed to be used to it, for anyone who got in the street a little too late nearly dived for the sidewalk that they were closer to once traffic started up again. And the cars sped along as if there was no tomorrow, not even 2 seconds after the green light lit.

Marlin gulped.

Dory seemed ready to go.

They followed the crowds, ready to use the crosswalk. Once red showed up, they pulled out, trying to ignore the pushing and shoving of the others beside them. 'Going' traffic was rather light this time so they had no fear of a car suddenly speeding down the road.

But that's exactly what happened.

It seemed as if the driver lived for the thrill, they were extremely late or just plain stupid. The convertible headed straight towards the crowd. Even at 300 feet away, the people noticed and started to disperse in either direction. Almost at their destination, Marlin and Dory picked up the pace, trying to hang on to each other.

That's when he felt her hand leave his.

She nearly got trampled as the panicked people rushed to safety. And once the streets were almost clear, she could only watch as the car still barreled down the street. It then started to slow down, but was too late for its speed was still propelling it forward, the tires screeches as it was forced to stop. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Marlin slammed into Dory…

And everything went black.

For both of them.

* * *

**Muhahahaha!**


	11. He Lives!

**I apologize immensely was not updating earlier. I went through a huge case of writer's block, but I didn't want to see this story die. I hate it when it happens to other awesome fics and I don't want to stop unless I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. Which hopefully is never. Anyways, I had dig through that writer's block and finally decided just to sit down and wing it. And this came out. I had another plan with this chapter, but decided to look at the script of FN and follow that a little more faithfully than I have. This chapter isn't that long, but it'll hold me over, for three other fics to update. I also blame my current obsession with WIR (which is now my favorite Disney movie, which was previously held by Toy Story 3) as the two other fics I have are for that movie and as of now, I'm way more inspired for those than I am of this and AiW:Once More. That and school has been screwing me over to where I was studying for final exams that I never got a chance to take because the very proctor that was supposed to schedule me in never got back to me, causing my grades and G.P.A to plummet. And I'm going to take a break from school for a long while that so I can get a hold of things. I know I'm just rambling right now, but I'm tired of seeing this poor fic get praise and not getting updated. And now I'm going to leave and answer reviews before I go any further.**

**Fizzy Starburst: Haha, lol. Thanks!  
**

**iluvhghttyd: No prob!  
**

**sandra: Their fates are learned in this chapter. And yes, I already planned for Dory to speak (fractured, but understandable) Japanese. And the yawning is a nice touch.  
**

**I'm Pretty Literal: Already did! And I'm enjoying it!  
**

**Snowsky: :)  
**

**PerryRocks- Wolf Warrior: Wish granted!  
**

**picahuesos: Gracias!  
**

**WillowBlueJay17: Are you kidding? I revel in the light of long reviews! They allow to me improve and respond a little easier. I give them when I can. And thank you. I understand what you mean. Many of the humanized fics I've seen are years old and while awesome, I hate that they're not continued. So, I thought, 'Why not make your own?' And that's what I did. I really don't want this to fall victim to same fate the other stories did, so here is the next chapter. And another will come soon. I'll be sure of it.  
**

**WildCroconaw: Thank you! I never knew that my fics actually made others cry. I'm better than I thought...no, really.  
**

**Disclaimer: 2016 is so far away...*Crosses fingers for MXD*  
**

* * *

"A-choo!"

This was bad.

The Runaways lounged around the room, all not much in the mood for conversation. The lone sneeze had come from Nemo, still recovering from his ordeal in the sewers. His short time in the rushing waters had made him sick enough to get a fever, which had risen in temperature quite considerably by the next morning.

Mr. Sherman (reluctantly, it seemed) provided him with some cough medicine and advised that he stay in bed that so he would be healthy enough for Darla to pick him up on Monday.

Nemo only shivered. While his face felt hot, the rest of his body felt cold as ice. He forced himself not to relive the horrible scene that he had faced just last night, the memories still fresh as ever…

_He slowly felt himself being pulled along the strong current water, even with Gill's best efforts. Struggling to kept a afloat, he felt the only thing that was keeping him alive loosening from his waist. _

_"Daddy!"_

_"Hold on, kid!" Gill and the others began to put even harder with all their strength, working against the force of the water to save the boy's life. Nemo tightened his grip on the rope, desperate not to be lost to the rushing torrent. Slowly, but surely, he saw the rope tighten and held on for dear life as they pulled him up and out of the water. As his shoulders had emerged out of the manhole, Peach hauled the six-year-old and hugged him close, trying his best to calm his sobs._

_"Gill, please…" She begged. "Don't let him go back down there."_

_"No." He backed away. "We're done."_

_He began the trek back to the orphanage. Slowly standing up, Peach began to carry Nemo back to his temporary home._

Burrowing under the covers, Nemo tried to shove the awful memories from his mind.

Maybe his father was right. Maybe the world was too dangerous. Especially with everything he had been through.

Images of Gill and the others played through his mind. Why did they trust him? It was almost as if he was caught between two extremes. One involving being "protected" from the world dangers and the other involved taking life head-on.

Nemo sighed.

He was only six.

* * *

"G'morning!"

His vision was hazy, his senses completely blurred. His eyes felt like they were being laid down with weights, his mind a complete fog.

_What…happened?_

"Mr. Williams, sir?"

_Mr. Williams?_

_Oh, right that was him…_

_What?_

As Marlin's eyesight cleared, he noticed a young woman standing before him. She had on a green nurse's outfit, a clipboard in her hand.

"Ah, finally, you're awake," she said, smiling a bit. "How do you feel?"

"I'm…I'm…I honestly have no idea," he said. "I feel like I've been hit by a car…"

"Um…well…"

Before he could ask what she meant, a sudden thought popped up in his head.

"Dory…"

"What?" Her attention was immediately perked.

"Dory? Where is she?!" He asked frantically, rising. Immediately, a sharp pain shot up his right arm. "Ahh…."

"Take it easy, Mr. Williams," the nurse said, immediately putting her hands on the bandage that surrounded it. "Are you talking about the young woman that was lying right next to you? She's right here. In the room."

Marlin let out a huge sigh of relief. "How is she?"

"She's doing fine, actually," the nurse said, a smiled forming on her face. "Unconscious, though. Someone told us that she was actually crying her heart out for a few minutes before she fainted. Again."

"…" Marlin said nothing, the memories of what had happened still somewhat fuzzy.

"Now, since you're awake, I'll have the doctor come and look you over," she said. "If everything goes well, both of you could leave by this evening."

"Oh, thank you," he said, clutching at his chest.

"Hey, are they alright?!"

At the doorway, Marlin could swear that he saw the past flash in front of his eyes. Peeking into the doorway was a young man in his late twenties. He wore a nurse's outfit, but the hat on his head let Marlin know that was an emergency paramedic. His long blonde dreds had been arranged in a ponytail and he sported a goatee.

"It's fine, Crush," the nurse said.

"Aw, man." The young man approached Marlin's bedside, looking somewhat relieved.

"He was a part of the emergency rescue team that was sent out to you guys," she said, chuckling a bit. "He tends to check up on anyone he rescues. He becomes emotionally attached to the patient even if they're unconscious."

"Can't help it, dude," Crush admitted, putting his arms behind his head. "I love people."

"Unlike most," the nurse sighed.

"Just came to check on you and little blue," Crush said, smiling. "I'll see you guys, later, 'kay?" Before Marlin could say anything, he had already left.

"He claims that he wants to stay longer, but he has to be on call on all hours of his shift," the nurse continued. "Now, let's check your pulse, shall we?"

As Marlin was examined, he couldn't help but look over at Dory. She seemed to be at peace, lying completely still. He couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not, but thanks to the monitor that stay besides her bed, he was glad that it let him know that she was alive. He smiled a bit. She actually looked kinda cute.

"Your significant other, Mr. Williams?"

Marlin blushed furiously and whipped his head back towards the nurse, who was smirking a bit. He wanted to deny her assumption, but a middle-aged woman entered the room with a clipboard in her hand.

"G'morning, Mr. Williams," she announced.

* * *

"Dude…"

…

"Focus, dude."

…

"Dude…"

"Wha?" Marlin awoke to last thing he expected: Crush standing right next to his bed, a look of genuine awe on his face.

"Aaah!" WHACK! His arm hit the railing of the bed and Marlin held it in agony. "Ow…"

"Aw, he lives!" Crush nearly exclaimed. "Aw, man, dude. I thought you had gone into a coma or something. You drifted off as soon as the doctor was done."

"I did?" Marlin grimaced a bit and sat up as best as he could. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About four hours," the man announced, Marlin finally noticing that he had a 'surfer' accent on him. "You have no idea how popular you are around here, dude."

"What do you mean?" Marlin was sitting up straight now, feeling somewhat better.

"You didn't know?!" Then as if having an epiphany, Crush calmed down. "Well, geez, of course you don't know. Anyway, what I mean is that everyone knows what happened."

Marlin blinked, his mind reacting to Crush's words. "What…happened?"

"You don't remember?" the young man asked. The redhead only shook his head.

"Well, I would tell you but…I don't want to traumatize you or anything." He smirked sadly and ran a hand through his hair.

"With everything I've been through," Marlin said with a grunt. "I wouldn't be surprised if I got ran over by a car."

"Well…" Crush huffed. "That's almost what happened."

Marlin's face became blank. "What?"

"Everyone that witnessed the accident and even a few that didn't," Crush started, turning away. "They told us that you jumped in front of an oncoming car that ran the stop light an intersection back. You did it to save little blue. And well, she came out better than you did. She came to a few minutes after the accident and a couple of people said that after about a minute of staring into space, she started bawling and was just cradling you, rocking back and forth. When we arrived, she had just passed out again."

Marlin sat there in silence, taking in everything as his memories returned with every word, hazy but clear enough to see that Crush was telling the truth. He looked over to Dory, who was now in dreamland, turned towards him as she snored softly.

"How is she?" Marlin asked.

"I heard that she's fine," Crush answered. "When she woke up, she fell asleep almost immediately. Why? Is she your girlfriend or something?"

Marlin's face turned a bright red. "Um…no. We…we just…"

Crush was smiling now. "Just?"

"It's nothing." Marlin coughed awkwardly, trying his best not to look at either of them. "We're just friends, that's all."

"Just friends…" Crush drew out. "Okay, then. Whatever you say, dude. But may I ask why?"

"Why?" Marlin looked up at him, feeling uncomfortable. "Why what?"

The blonde shrugged. "Well, why were you out there anyway? Were you on an outing? Just wondering."

"Well…" Marlin began, his head lowering. "In reality, we…we were looking for my son."

"Your son?" Crush asked. "Did he run away from you?"

"Not really," Marlin sighed. "He…he was kidnapped.

In an instant, Crush, who had somehow settled into the chair right by Marlin's bed, leaped up. "What?! Who would…?"

"I know, right?" Marlin asked, laughing wearily. "But I guess it's my fault in a way. I mean, if I wasn't too hard on him, he wouldn't have been in a position to get taken…"

"Dude, don't say that."

"But it's true…"

"How can it be true when you didn't even know it was going to happen, man?" Crush asked. Marlin said nothing, not sure how to answer. Sighing, the other man only shook his head. "I gotta admit. I know your pain. I do. I mean, I…wait…I think I got something….no, I do have something."

Marlin only raised an eyebrow. Crush's behavior was confusing him to no end. The blonde clasped his hands together and smiled.

"How can I be of assistance?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…how can I help, dude?" Crush said. "How far is he from here? Do you have an idea? A police report? Something? I want to help you in any way that I can."

"Well, this may sound crazy…" Marlin rubbed his neck with his good arm. "But we think that he was taken to Chicago. Me and li-I mean, Dory, that is. We found one of the masks that belonged to the kidnapper and she memorized the address before we lost it. We think that's where he is right now."

Crush nodded, seemingly taking in the information. Then he smiled even wider.

"Well, listen. I'm on a temporary call right now, meaning that this isn't the main hospital that I work. Tonight, I'm headed back home to Missouri. How would you two like to come with me?"

Marlin perked up. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Yeah, I don't mind," Crush said. "Anything to help you get your son back."

"Well…" Marlin weighed his options here. He and Dory were planning on spending the night there in the city, but anything that would help them reach Nemo faster would be their best bet. Especially in this situation. "You sure it won't be a burden?"

"No sweat, dude." Crush waved it off. "It's fine. Now, what do you say?"


	12. A Brief Respite - Part 1: Consolation

**Wow. This chapter is shorter than I expected.**

**Firstly, I will apologize for my very long absence from this fic. I lost inspiration for a long while. **

**And it suddenly came back just before the announcement of Finding Dory.**

**No, really.**

**Onto reviews!**

**Oh, wait.**

**Before I do this, let me clarify a few things.**

**I was going to address this earlier, but I just need to point it out now.**

**PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS OFFENSE AT THIS!**

***ahem* To Makokam,**

**I have the feeling that you're trying to be helpful, but you're actually kinda confusing me. Let me say something. THIS IS FINDING NEMO. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT NORMAL. AT ALL. **

**I wasn't trying to make it normal, but I was trying make their non-normalcy as believable as possible. For humans, that is. **

**Another thing: Marlin is 27 from chapter 2 onward. Dory is 24. Nemo is 6 from chapter 2 onward as well. If Marlin**** was 21 throughout the whole fic, this story would've been rated T. Coral is 20 in the first chapter. If he's 21 now, she would've been 15 when Nemo was born. And maybe 14 when they got married. Again, marriage. You should know that would've been illegal. **

**And I don't exactly endorse the birthing of children out of wedlock. Well, in my stories, that is. You guys go write whatever you want. I'm not stopping you.**

**Trying to keep up the K+ rating people.**

**And as one last thing, Dory is supposed to forget things instantly. Leaving it there.**

**Alright, that's over.**

**Okay, these next few chapters after this are going to delve into different points of the past. Not just flashbacks, but important plot points. Anything happening in the present might be a little filler...**

**Just saying.**

**Oh, hold on.**

**To WillowBlueJay27,**

**DEAR GOSH. YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE.**

**What I'm saying is that you're awesome.**

**You have taken the humanization of Finding Nemo and blew it out of the water. I can hardly believe that this fic compares. You even addressed things I haven't even addressed yet (and honestly, some I didn't even think about).**

**And so with that, I dedicate this chapter to you! That's right! As thanks and to help you to finish your fic, I shall try and update ASAP.**

**BTW, to anyone who hasn't read her fic, READ IT. PLEASE. FORGET THIS PIECE OF CRAP AND READ HER AWESOME FANFIC BASED OFF OF IT. PLEASE!**

***ahem***

**I'm better now.**

**Reviews!**

**Fizzy Starburst: Wooh! I updated again! After a very long time! Aw, thanks! I don't know why. These chapters have been getting shorter. Maybe I should make them more descriptive.**

**sandy: Really? I'm honored. Amazed. It's hard for me to describe some scenes, honestly. And I got it! I got it! We need excitement.**

**hedgi: It shall never die! And yesh, Nemo needs love. From everyone. **

**Schoolie: :)**

**SunnyChocolate: I'm making people squeal now? My life's purpose is complete! lol! Thanks!**

**mexicolover97: Didn't I just see your review on my AiW fic? Wow. And Crush is awesome! BTW, Nigel makes his appearance as soon as the chapter starts. I didn't forget about him!**

**JessieH08: Thank you!**

**guest: Never soon enough!**

**anonimo: No se preocupe! La espera ha terminado!**

**Disclaimer: And now to take a break from the laptop. *inwardly squeals from finding out about Finding Dory* No, really.**

* * *

"Good, that gives us a few more days, I guess."

"Wednesday is better than nothing."

Gill sighed and looked up the man that stood beside him. He was in his early 30s, a dirty blonde Australian who had a thing for fishing and yellow polos. He wore a green visor, a yellow polo shirt, brown khakis and green flip-flops.

"If there was something I could do…" The man trailed, looking somewhat guilty.

"It's fine, Nigel," Gill said, shaking his head. "They'd suspect too much. I don't want you to get into trouble for this. They already got their suspicions about what happened with Nemo."

"I'm amazed that there hasn't been a lot a talk about that," Nigel replied, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I mean, shouldn't it have already been on the news that Nemo had gone missing?"

"I heard something similar to it," Gill replied. "But I don't know if it's the same thing…just something about a field trip and a kid getting kidnapped. That may tie in with the story he gave me and all, but there weren't too many details in the news report."

"I see." Nigel stretched. "How's the little tyke doing?"

"Better." Gill looked down. "Still reeling from everything, though. He avoids that hole in the floorboards like the plague. Can't blame him, though." He chuckled wearily.

"It's best that you don't blame yourself for these things, mate." The older man placed a hand of reassurance on his companion's shoulder. "No one saw it coming."

"I still put him in harm's way," said Gill, burying his face in his hands.

"You're only 19, Gill."

"And I'm still stuck in this hellhole!" Gill snapped. Nigel only shook his head when the young man returned to sulking.

"*sigh* At least it's not by your own will," Nigel said. "You're the most mature out of everyone here. And you're going to escape. Even if I can't help you."

Gill didn't say anything, still mulling over his own self-pity, his head turning slightly once he heard him sigh.

"Well, I might as well go anyways." He gave him a pat on the shoulder and left, making his way towards the building. A few minutes later, he heard the soft crunching of grass. Once it stopped, he spoke.

"Hey, sharkbait."

"…" Nemo shuffled nervously. "I'm sorry, Gill. I couldn't get the cover open fast enough…"

Gill only stood up and placed a hand on Nemo's head. "No. I'm sorry."

"Hm?"

"I was so ready to get out," he continued, "so ready to taste freedom, I was willing to put you in harm's way to do it. Nothing is worth that. I'm sorry for not getting you back to your father, kid."

The young man turned around, meaning to continue to focus on his shortcomings. Instead, he was surprised by a sudden tightness around his back that wrapped around to his chest. Nemo had embraced from behind and burrowed his head under Gill's arm to take a look at him.

"It's okay," he said, looking hopeful. "I don't blame you."

Gill chuckled sadly, wrapping his arm around the young boy's shoulder. Ruffling the redhead's hair with his free hand, he smiled when the boy muttered in protest.

"Thanks, sharkbait. You have no idea how much I needed that."

* * *

"Wake up, dudes! We have arrived!"

"Where? What happened? Where am I?!"

"Dory! Dory! We're with Crush, remember?"

"Who's Crush?"

"Fabio."

"It's N-oh, sorry."

Marlin only smiled and sat up, stretching a bit from a cramped sleeping space. Dory sat up next to him and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, yawning for effect.

"Wow, you too must've been bushed." Crush turned around in the front seat, looking at the pair.

Rubbing his face, Marlin looked out the window…

Only to notice that there was a beach.

"Um, Crush?" he asked, his expression turning to confusion. "Where are we?"

"Miami, Florida, dudes!" Crush nearly exclaimed. "Where do you think I came from?"

While Dory looked outside in awe, Marlin's mouth opened and closed like a fish, gaining a laugh from their other companion. "Just kidding! This is Kansas City, man."

"Missouri?" The disbelief was evident in the father's voice.

"What? You think beaches are only in cities near the ocean?" Crush opened the door to the truck. "Way to live in the stereotype, dude."

Not having anything to say in response, Marlin exited the car while Dory followed suit, still in awe.

They had arrived at a rather quaint beach house that sat just feet away from the sand. Green with a white roof, the porch was decorated with discarded beach towels, potted plants and even a surfboard that sat right next to the front door. Marlin noticed that it was rather early, the colors of the sunrise peeking out from behind the horizon.

"Amazing, ain't it?" Marlin nearly jumped as Crush stood right next to him, admiring the view. "Let's get you dudes settled. You're not going anywhere for a while."

"What do you mean?" asked Marlin. "I mean, I have to find Nemo and…"

"Listen, I know you guys were well enough to get discharged and all…" Crush opened the trunk of his jeep, gathering up the few belongings that the pair had brought with them. "But you're going to need some rest in your condition."

"How much rest are we talking about?" Marlin griped, the question coming out harsher than he expected.

Gladly, Crush didn't take his tone too hard. "Just a couple of days. A day and a half at the least, dude. You feel fine right now, but you'll be feeling the effects on and off throughout the day. I'm just suggesting that you take it easy that so you can find your little tyke without getting worn out."

No having anything to say in response, Marlin only sighed. Despite the fact that he really wanted to find Nemo, he had to admit that Crush was right. And he didn't feel totally up to speed either…

Hold on.

"Hey, Crush, where's Dory?"

"Dory?" A look of concern crossed both of their faces. Looking around frantically, Marlin let out a breath that he had no idea he was holding once he saw her. The young woman had somehow traveled the stretch of the beach and was standing at the edge of the water. The redhead cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Dory!"

No answer. She didn't even make a visual attempt to move.

"Dory!"

"Little blue!"

Marlin's concern came back. Did she even hear them? He started to walk towards her, calling her name every few seconds, but receiving silence every time. In the few minutes it took to reach her, he found himself getting more and more agitated. Once behind her, he attempted to grab her shoulder in attempt to get her attention.

She didn't move.

Crush waved a hand in front of her face, getting no response.

"This happen often?"

"Not that I know of," answered Marin truthfully. Taking off his shoes and socks, he stepped in front of her, noticing that she wore a blank expression on her face, lips parted.

Almost as if she was thinking.

He made one more attempt to reach her.

"Dory?"

"We were here."

"What?"

"She held my hand that so I wouldn't go out too far into the water," she continued, seemingly oblivious and aware of his presence all the same time. "She was always forgetting my name, though. But I didn't care. I was just glad that she remembered me. But I still can't recall why it made me so happy…That was the last time I saw her before…"

"Before what?" Marlin asked.

"I don't know." She smiled weakly, tears streaming down her face. "I can't remember."

Wiping her face with her hands, she turned towards the two men, all traces of sadness seemingly gone.

"But no use worrying about it! We've gotta find Nemo, remember?"


End file.
